Morning commute “best time” to reach consumers by email

More than 83 percent of consumers read emails from retailers during their morning commute on their mobiles, according to new research by retail marketing agency Leapfrogg, making this the “best time” to reach them with marketing emails.

The research reveals that when asked what times they opened and read emails from their favourite brands, research showed that the next most popular time was travelling home from work, making the commute a targeted time for marketing emails. Some, 74 percent of people polled did so via their mobiles, with a further 11 percent using tablets.

The study also found that shoppers prefer to hear from retailers once a week, with a third of respondents cited one email every seven days as the optimum number, while just over a fifth, said once a month was enough. Only 4 percent found daily emails acceptable, with 13 percent happy to receive them two or three times a week.

During weekdays, the most popular time to make a purchase was found to be at lunchtime via a desktop computer, with 75 percent doing so, while at the weekend, around lunch time or after dinner were the preferred times to make online purchases.

Some 37 percent of shoppers felt it was important for retailers to know what they had previously purchased in order to successfully personalise shopping experiences. Using their name was considered the next most pressing detail, according to 35 percent, followed by personal style and product preferences, 25 percent.

The research comes from Leapfrogg’s survey its ‘Premium Panel’ which is made up of 1,000 consumers, and regularly provides insight into a variety of retail topics.