Email strategies must recognise users are now constantly moving between devices

Consumers now expect a consistent experience across every device – whether they happen to be using a PC, mobile or tablet. So what can businesses do to improve the customer journey that is gradually blurring between devices? Since Apple launched the iPhone in 2007, smartphones have saturated our society with as much as two thirds of UK’s population owning one according to Ofcom[1]. Even before we have stumbled out of bed in the morning, we are likely to have checked our mobile to catch up on the news, read emails, get the weather forecast and browse social media channels. In fact, the average smartphone user carries out over 200 tasks a day on their mobile, compared to just 140 on a desktop or laptop.[2] Even web browsing, traditionally a desktop or laptop task, is now a smartphone-centric pastime…

New research on how email readers interact with marketing emails

Those of you familiar with the latest email marketing stats will already know how important 'mobile opens' are. In fact, emails opened on smartphones and tablets make up over half of all emails opened over the last three years according to a new report from Yesmail. This research makes a compelling case for upgrading to responsive email designs, or if you already have them, for optimising them. The importance of mobile email readership makes responsive email design more crucial than ever, because users expect attractive emails across devices, and are unlikely to click through on an email which looks poorly formatted because wasn't designed to appear on a mobile device.

Responsive design is key for boosting mobile clicks

Regardless of whether your emails have responsive designs, over half your email opens will be happening on mobile devices. However, if you don't have responsive designs, most…

Use these 12 insights from ground-breaking eye-tracking research to improve your email campaigns on mobile

How much do you know about how your subscribers really perceive your emails on mobile? If the answer is not much then it’s probably time to optimise: 70% of all emails are now opened on mobile and scrolling on a touchscreen is a completely different experience to using a desktop. Users can interact with content anywhere and anytime and their location, the lighting, sounds, distractions etc. will all have an impact on how our messages are perceived. Additionally, a study by Litmus found that 80% of people will delete an email that doesn't look good on their mobile device. Although that is worrying, the good news is that there are some very simple changes that you can make to your campaigns to avoid them…

Email marketing is still highly effective, but the smartwatch brings with it a new challenge for marketing strategists

I've recently upgraded my watch to a Sony Smartwatch 3, but the Smartwatch 2, depicted below, is often cited by technology bloggers as being one of the devices that kicked off the wearables trend in a big way back in 2013. Life with a smartwatch isn't as difficult to get used to as I thought it might be, instead adding a lot of value to my day in ways I could never have imagined. As a copywriter I've penned many an email for many a marketing campaign, so the way the smartwatch began to change my behaviour as a consumer was of particular interest to me.

The smart watch will impact email marketers

I seldom read full emails or messages on my smartwatch…

A summary of the main changes needed for mobile email best practices

You will know that changes in mobile use have had a big impact on our use of email marketing - with a growth in mobile opens of over 180% over the past three years. In their latest summary infographic EmailMonks remind us of the need to optimise our email by sharing this research on viewing patterns, and giving 14 tips for better responsive emails and highlighting pitfalls to avoid. …

Practical 'non techy' steps to optimise your email campaigns for mobile

With the increase in consuming content of the move and email marketing being as popular as ever, it's not even a question to ask if we need to optimise our email campaigns for mobile. Salesforce in Canada have produced a useful infographic, listing 18 ways to help steer your email marketing to ensure your email is well received on mobile and tips include how to ensure your images don't pop out horizontally!. …

Understanding the pros and cons of Retina screens in email design

Children of the (higher) resolution - Every time I see an article or advert about Apple’s Retina Display, I have to force myself not to dismiss it as marketing guff and consider the relevancy. Let me explain. As an email designer, devices with a Retina display are a pain. When I open an email I have lovingly crafted they make my pin-sharp graphics look a touch blurry, and that’s guaranteed to upset any designer. In this article I look specifically at email design for retina displays, register for the free webinar with my colleague Darren for more insight on mobile design for Email. …

New survey reveals email marketing top for ROI, but still much potential for improvement

Shocking news in the latest Econsultancy/Adestra Email Marketing Industry Census: 68% of respondents rated email's ROI as excellent or good (the top result). OK, not a shock. However, despite the continuing strong results from email, the report suggests there is still much potential for improvement. The related infographic is below, and one area definitely in need of more focus is mobile email. When I state the mobile email needs more focus, I don't just mean mobile email design, but mobile email as a whole. So what needs optimising? Ignoring measurement issues for the moment, around half of mails are recorded as opened on a mobile device. This is the obligatory stat to remind us that mobile is not the future, but the present (almost one billion smartphones were sold…

What is responsive email design?

Responsive design is an approach for web and email designs that ensures the user has the best experience possible, regardless of whatever device they are viewing. Often you will find that a website viewed on a normal desktop PC will look a certain way, however once the same site is viewed on a tablet computer or mobile device it will look considerably different. Responsive design will re-arrange and streamline web and email content for these different devices and screen sizes. It helps to minimise resizing, panning and scrolling by the smartphone or tablet user. It may also involve enlarging smaller text as well as making links and buttons actionable and visible. This gives the user a much simpler experience enabling them to engage with the creative and offer in the email.

Examples of mobile responsive emails

Here is our first example showing the difference between a non-scaled email template on…

5 key insights to create the best experience for your smartphone and tablet audience

You'll know that usage of smartphones and tablets, and the revenue and engagement delivered by them, is skyrocketing. In Q3 of 2014, 25% of global traffic to e-commerce sites came from mobile devices (10% smartphones, 15% tablets) according to Monetate.

That’s up 3% in a single quarter. Meanwhile, eMarketer predicts that the value of UK m-commerce in 2013 will have reached £6.61 billion.

Understanding and optimising the customer journey and experience for these active mobile audiences has become an imperative for mainstream multichannel brands, as well as pure-play digital brands. Happily, there are simple ways to do this. Here are five steps I would start with ...

Insight 1. Define 'mobile'

Organisations, analytics reports and the media use this term inconsistently. Be clear whether it just refers to smartphones or whether it's an umbrella term for all handheld…