The open rate landscape - best and worst times to send emails - Whitepaper Whitepaper The open rate landscape - best and worst times to send emails
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Whitepaper
The open rate landscape – best and worst
times to send emails
Improving results together
Whitepaper
The open rate landscape - best
and worst times to send emails
www.pure360.com 1Whitepaper
The open rate landscape – best and worst
times to send emails
Contents
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................ 2
Key findings ........................................................................................................................................................................ 2
Optimal send times by sector .............................................................................................................................................. 3
The Hike of Hope and a Pratical Pinnacle ............................................................................................................................. 3
Have timings changed? ........................................................................................................................................................4
When should you send? ................................................................................................................................................. 4 - 5
Personalisation is key .......................................................................................................................................................... 5
Introduction
Sending emails at the right time for your subscribers is vital and can be the difference between a campaign succeeding
or failing. In 2011 we conducted a research project into email timings; the best and worst times to send your emails.
Our research was utilised by marketers in a variety of industries; proving to be a useful resource for many
marketing plans.
Due to the success of the research, we decided to revisit and update our guide to email timings. In our latest research
we looked at 150 of our clients in a variety of industries, who together sent over 40,000 email campaigns and 900 million
emails in a year. The information in this whitepaper contains the insight we gained about the best and worst times to
send your emails.
Key findings
The best time to send an email does not remain static, but instead is changeable and particularly dependent on industry.
Do not generalise your recipients, instead look at their habits to send at optimal times for open rates.
96% of email marketing sent between midnight and 7am is never opened
5pm to 6pm is now the ultimate time to launch email marketing campaigns
Marketers should avoid the pitfall of sending emails in the early hours of the morning to ensure they are top of people’s
inboxes when they arrive in the office. Our research shows that only 4% of emails sent between midnight and 7am then
go on to be opened.
In fact, the best time to send an email is now during the ‘Post Work Peak’, as people are finishing up at work and heading
home. Over a quarter (26%) of marketing emails that are sent in the most successful hour, 5pm to 6pm, are opened, which
is 9% above average.
www.pure360.com 2Whitepaper The open rate landscape – best and worst times to send emails Optimal send times by sector Industry Time Automotive 7 - 9pm Charity 4 - 6pm Education 7 - 9pm Events 8 - 9pm Finance 7 - 10am Green/Energy 12pm - 3pm Hotels 10 - 11am Leisure 10am - 12pm or 10 - 11pm Marketing 5 - 7pm Publishing 7 - 8pm Retail 10 - 11am or 4 - 6pm Travel 3pm or 10 - 11pm Technology 12pm - 3pm The Hike of Hope and a Practical Pinnacle Based on our research we have identified the peaks and troughs throughout the day of when consumers are most receptive to being sent emails. These include the “Hike of Hope” when sending leisure emails is particularly successful, and the “Practical Pinnacle”, the point at which sending finance emails is most effective. “It’s easy to make assumptions about consumer behaviour and many marketers believe that sending emails first thing in the morning benefits their open rates. But in fact, our research shows that they need to really get to know their sector audience and be aware of unexpected trends – such as the habit people have for opening emails that they receive as the time-pressures of the work day ease off on the commute home.” - Abi Jacks, Head of Marketing at Pure360 Our research also shows that Autumn is the best time of year to launch an email campaign. Over a fifth (21%) of marketing messages sent between September and November are opened, compared to a 17% average. Emails sent on events, hotels, retail, technology and travel all have their best month, indicating that people get through the post-Summer low by planning activities for the future. Abi Jacks comments: “When planning an email marketing campaign, marketers know that they need to carefully select the right message, tone and imagery for their audience.” “But many overlook the fact that it’s also vital to disseminate that message at the precise moment when an individual is going to be most receptive to opening, reading and responding.” www.pure360.com 3
Whitepaper The open rate landscape – best and worst times to send emails Have timings changed? The inbox abyss has shortened since our last research; originally this was 10pm – 9am, however we have now found this has shrunk to 12am – 6am. From 6am we see a slight rise in open rates, which begins peaking from 7am onwards, particularly in practical emails such as finance and healthcare. In our original research there was a lull in open rates between 10am – noon, however we have now found that emails which are leisure based are more likely to be opened between these times. There is still a decline in open rates in the late evening, however leisure and travel open rates are high during this period, particularly between 10-11pm. When should you send? The Inbox Abyss (Midnight to 7am): Emails distributed in the early hours of the morning enter the “Inbox Abyss”: only 4% of emails sent between midnight and 7am then go on to be opened. However, b2b marketing bucks this trend, surprisngly emails sent between 1am and 2am being opened almost half the time (45%). The Practical Pinnacle (7am-10am): Before work starts is an effective time to send emails about issues that could have been worrying people overnight. Finance, healthcare and recruitment all have their most successful hour before 10am. The Hike of Hope (10am-12noon): People are receptive to opening emails sent at the start of the workday on more relaxing, leisure-based topics, during the “Hike of Hope”. For instance, almost a quarter (24%) of hotel offers sent between 10am and 11am are opened. The Lunchtime Ledge (12noon-3pm): There is a lull between noon and 3pm, on the “Lunchtime Ledge”. However, emails sent on functional concerns such as green issues, energy and technology perform best during these hours. The Gradual Ascent (3pm-5pm): There is a “Gradual Ascent” in opening rates for emails sent between 3pm and 5pm. Travel emails sent at 3pm are more likely to be opened (41%) than at any other point of the day (37%). The Post-Work Peak (5pm-7pm): The best time to send a marketing email is during the “Post-Work Peak”, between 5pm and 7pm. Over a quarter (26%) of marketing emails that are sent in the most successful hour, 5pm to 6pm, are opened. The Little Rock (7pm-9pm): There is another smaller peak in opening rates of emails sent between 7pm and 9pm. This is the best time to send emails on topics requiring a lot of consideration, such as cars, education and insurance. The Steep Descent (9pm-midnight): There is then a “Steep Descent” in opening rates of emails sent in the evening, although leisure and travel emails sent between 10pm and 11pm remain effective, with over a third being opened. www.pure360.com 4
Whitepaper
The open rate landscape – best and worst
times to send emails
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Personalisation is key
Our research is offered as a useful guide which reveals trends in opening times which marketers should be aware of and
can assist in marketing campaigns. However we would always recommend that you tailor your email campaigns to your
specific audience as much as possible; take your campaign one step further by looking at the behavioural patterns of
individual recipients and then personalise.
Consider complementing our guide with tools such as Intelligent Time Savings (ITS) which enables marketers to identify
when individual recipients are most likely to respond to email marketing campaigns. By analysing when people have opened
and clicked through on previous messages, ITS will automatically deliver emails at the time they are most likely to be read,
by each individual.
Everyone is different, and therefore will open their emails at different times depending on their daily schedule, internet
connection and current location. Professional marketers can use technology such as ITS and reporting by device to help them
spot these trends and tailor emails accordingly. For example, targeting mobile users in the best possible way is key if a high
proportion of your list are reading your messages on this medium.
Marketers should adapt their campaign to suit the recipient’s individual needs, making sure that personalisation is at the
heart of their campaigns.
www.pure360.com 5Whitepaper The open rate landscape – best and worst times to send emails About Pure360 Pure360 is an email & SMS marketing provider who specialise in helping businesses get the best results from their campaigns. Pure360 work with over 1000 organisations including brands such as Rightmove, Virgin and innocent drinks. Our customers stay with us through choice, not contract, and they tell their friends about us – but never their competitors. We’ll work with you to improve your email marketing and SMS results. You’ll get the best from your campaigns without being tied into a long contract, because your success is our success. You’ll get full training, support and regular free advice supported by email marketing and SMS software that’s developed in-line with customer feedback. Pure360 customers have access to the largest UK-based customer support team of all email marketing providers because our whole focus is on improving your results by working together. Members of the DMA, we’ve recorded a 10% higher open rate for our customers than the DMA average, leading to higher clicks and conversions for your email marketing campaigns. You can find the team working to improve our customers’ email campaigns, down in Brighton, pop in or give us a call to discuss how we can help you get excellent results from your email & SMS campaigns. Pure360 – Improving results together web: www.pure360.com call: 0844 586 0001 email: contact@pure360.com www.pure360.com 6
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