Email open rates double on mobile devices in last five years

Mobile email opens have nearly doubled over the past five years with more than half of emails now being opened on mobile devices, according to

research

by Return Path.

The report –

The Email Client Experience

 – analysed the breakdown of platforms and devices that people use to open email. The report also looked at when people are most likely to open email, as well as the length of time they typically spend reading one.

The findings revealed mobile is preferred nearly 2:1 over webmail, with 55% of emails opened on mobile devices during May 2016 to April 2017 – up from just 29% in 2012.

The report also showed that Gmail has overtaken Yahoo in the webmail race, with mobile opens peaking during the weekend, and webmail and desktop open rates increasing during the working week.

Mobile email checks more popular out of office hours

Unsurprisingly, 60% of opened emails occur on both Saturday and Sunday, compared to a range of 51-55% from Monday to Friday, revealing people are more likely to check their emails via mobile outside of office hours.

Tom Sather, senior director of research at Return Path, said: “In just five years, we’ve seen dramatic shifts in the email space – and there’s no doubt that more changes are coming.

“Marketers need to understand both the current state of the email ecosystem and how it’s likely to evolve in the future. Knowing how, when, and where your emails are being opened – and how those things have changed over time – can help to inform critical decisions about the direction of your email programme.”

A separate Return Path report earlier this year found

using emojis in subject lines has the potential to increase email open rates

.

For more tips on writing epic B2B marketing emails, check out our recent article, 

B2B email subject lines: 6 winning examples

.