Clarity

People like emails that get to the point. Our research uncovered a strong preference for a direct, open approach to selling rather than a softer sell hidden behind a ruse of friendship.

More than a third (37%) went as far as to call overlyfamiliar emails ‘deal breakers’.

Email qualities that resonate best with UK consumers

The essential qualities of successful emails

Don’t get too personal

Although personalisation has its merits, there is a strong sense that consumers want email marketers to keep their distance and focus on the goods they are offering. Almost two fifths (38%) hate feeling like companies are stalking them via email.

This applies to content and style too. Less than a fifth (18%) said personalised content would tempt them to open an email, and only 17% said it would prompt them to return to a brand that they’d previously abandoned.

Not too often, but often enough

While consumers dislike over-frequency and two thirds (65%) say this turns them off a brand, the majority (57%) are happy to receive emails up to once a week.

While consumers dislike over-frequency and two thirds (65%) say this turns them off a brand, the majority (57%) are happy to receive emails up to once a week.

Nine in ten (91%) UK consumers sometimes get annoyed by marketing emails. The consequences of one bad email can be dire. One third (37%) send an email to junk after reading a message they don’t particularly like and even more (39%) unsubscribe from future emails.

Yet the good news is mistakes can be rectified.

WHAT BRANDS CAN DO TO WIN CONSUMERS BACK

The age factor

Our research found an indirect correlation between how often different age groups use email for personal communication and how much they engage with marketing communications.

Young people are most comfortable with being sold to via email, with 18 to 24 year olds being the least likely to delete marketing messages without reading them and the most likely to engage. This age group receives fewer personal emails, perhaps due to a tendency to use social media for personal communications.

Conversely older consumers are the least likely to engage with marketing emails. Those over 55 are the most likely to check their emails 10 times a day or more.

It seems groups of people who frequently use email for personal communication find marketing emails more intrusive and are less likely to engage. This has interesting echoes of our 2014 Buying Behaviour Study, which found consumers are most consciously influenced by email than any other digital channel.

All or nothing with the sexes

Our research found only subtle variations in the way men and women respond to email marketing.

Marketers seem to have more to gain by using long-term customer nurturing strategies with women. They are less forgiving of unappealing campaigns than men and quicker to unsubscribe if they dislike just one email, but more likely to take positive action such as sharing an email they like.

This illustrates the wider trend of consumers taking an all or nothing approach – dismissing emails entirely that don’t meet their criteria but actively looking forward to those that do.

How to seal the deal

1. It’s not enough to create one brilliant campaign. Brands need to win a reputation for delivering must-read messages to win the right to bypass people’s internal filters. The aim should be becoming one of the few brands that customers skip straight to when they open their inbox.
2. While demographics can give clues on how people want to be communicated with, there is no substitute for watching and listening. Monitor how consumers respond to campaigns and adjust your content and frequency accordingly.
3. People appreciate straightforward information from brands they occasionally buy from, however prefer tempting offers from brands they buy from more frequently.
4. While marketers should not abandon personalisation or engagement, this research illustrates that they need to be used with care. Be aware that customers know what brands want from them, as well as what they want from brands.
5. Don’t get too friendly too soon and don’t pretend that friendship is the ultimate goal. You want to sell, and customers want to buy the right things in the right way.

So cut to the chase and show them the goods!