M-Commerce Sales Being Driven By Email

A new piece of research conducted by Custora has found that marketing emails opened on smartphones or tablets are actually outperforming e-mails read on desktops and PCs in terms of m-commerce figures, the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) reports.

This has come as a shock to some professionals in the industry, as traditionally email on mobile devices face various problems, particularly concerning the opening of messages on smaller screens and embedded links connecting to apps rather than websites.

The figures from the research show that emails on desktop drove 20.9% of m- commerce sales; conversely, emails on smartphones drove 26.7% of sales from the devices, and tablet emails drove 23.1% of sales.

These figures highlight the need for marketing departments to create a multi-channel strategy or risk losing out on sales opportunities, as well as increased engagement. Creating a broad strategy that takes various channels into consideration will encourage customers to connect with a brand numerous times – something Corey Pierson, the chief executive of Custora, describes as the “Holy Grail” for marketers – particularly those in the retail sector.

Pierson went on to note that the company had found that “many shoppers start with desktop purchases” and then tend to progress to mobile purchases “when they feel comfortable enough” – both with the brand and with the technology. He said that this is what ultimately results in “high-value, repeat shoppers” – the kind of clientele all marketing departments should be aiming to attract.

The consumer goods sector is now the biggest spending sector in terms of online advertising, so being able to address every channel possible is the key to remaining competitive.