A whopping 96 per cent of email campaigns sent between midnight and 7am are never opened, according to new research by Pure360, the email and SMS specialists.
Surprisingly, the most successful campaigns are not sent in the morning, but between 5pm and 6pm. Over 26 per cent of marketing emails sent in this hour are opened, equivalent to 9 per cent above average.
Abi Jacks, head of marketing at Pure360 said: “It’s easy to make assumptions about consumer behaviour and many marketers believe that sending emails first thing in the morning benefits their open rates.
“But in fact, our research shows that they need to really get to know their sector audience and be aware of unexpected trends – such as the habit people have for opening emails that they receive as the time-pressures of the work day ease off on the commute home.”
The research also reveals that autumn is the best time of year to launch an email campaign. Over a fifth (21 per cent) of marketing messages sent between September and November are opened, compared to a 17 per cent average over 12 months.