One of the most effective and commonly seen methods of generating website traffic and eCommerce sales is through the use of email subscriptions. The idea is simple: once readers visit a blog or store for the first time, they are invited to sign up for daily or weekly emails that can include anything from coupon codes, to newsletters, to exclusive articles only available to those who sign up. It’s a very effective method of increasing traffic and retaining customers, but there are ways it can be done in order to maximize efficiency.
Those with experience in social media marketing understand the importance of posting during peak traffic times, as it allows for the highest possible visibility. This can be applied to email marketing as well, and can be used to convert more subscribers into buyers if done properly. However, it’s far more difficult to gauge which times of day subscribers will be checking their email than when they will be checking Facebook or Instagram, as there are fewer tools available on the market to understand these trends.
It’s important that emails are sent at the right time in order to maximize the number of opens and clickthroughs.
If subscribers receive the email at an inconvenient time, such as during their sleep or in the middle of their afternoon meeting, they will be far more likely to ignore the message than open it to see what it holds. This results in lost engagement and fewer sales, which can ultimately hurt an eCommerce business over time.
Knowing when to send email goes beyond which time of day it should be sent. In fact, there are a number of factors that go into sending email at the most effective time:
- The best days to send email
- The best time of day to send email
- A personal combination of both
The first issue to tackle is knowing which days to send email in order to maximize engagement. Recent studies have shown that Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday see the most engagement per email on average, with weekends traditional seeing the lowest unique open rates each week. This can vary from market to market, but is considered by the eCommerce industry as a whole to be a good guide to work with. Send emails during the middle of the week to maximize their audience.
In addition to sending emails during the right day of the week, they should be sent at the right time of day, as poorly timed emails can result in very low unique open rates. According to experts in eCommerce, the best times of day to send email are as follows:
- 10 AM
- 8 PM – Midnight
- 2 PM
- 6AM
During these periods of time, subscribers are more likely to open the email and read it, rather than immediately move it to their trash bin, never to be seen again. By increasing unique open rates for each email sent, sales will increase as a result, making it very important that email be sent during times of high visibility.
While these guidelines have statistically shown the most engagement over the past several years, they are not set in stone, and it’s important that any eCommerce entrepreneur send their emails when they see fit. If the target audience seems to engage with emails during time periods not listed here, be sure to take advantage of those time periods instead. In the end, knowing when to send email in order to maximize engagement is largely a process of trial and error, and it will take some time and close monitoring to know what is best for each business.
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