Customer engagement with email campaigns is increasing as a result of shifting marketing strategies influenced by privacy regulations, among other email and mobile marketing trends, according to a report by Acoustic.
Regulations that limit how data can be used and shared are rapidly changing the marketing landscape, according to research, as they force brands to find new ways to drive loyalty without jeopardising the privacy of customers.
Acoustic’s 2019 Marketing Benchmark Report shows that email open rates and click-through rates have increased by 19% and 14% respectively since 2014. The report also shows the percentage of customers opening emails on mobile devices declined to approximately 44% in 2018 from 49% in 2017. During the same time period, the percentage of email recipients opening webmail increased to 40% from 33%, and the percentage of consumers opening emails on desktop declined to nearly 16% from 18%.
Click-through rates have also increased, with all major regions experiencing increases in click-through rates between 2018 and 2017. But the US saw a 20% year-on-year increase to 3.6% from 3.0%. The research reveals that while customers open simple mobile push notifications about 5% of the time, mobile app inbox messages see average open rates of more than 22%.
Loren McDonald, program director of market research at Acoustic, said: “Our data shows that privacy regulations are actually improving results by driving change within marketing organisations, many of which are becoming more focused on consumer trust and the customer experience. In addition to improving permission and data management practices, brands are increasingly using AI to personalise emails, dissect and analyse big data, and detect when campaigns aren’t performing well.”
The report analyses email and mobile marketing messages distributed in 2018 by thousands of brands spanning numerous industries and more than 40 countries.
