Email isn't dead, but it is segregated: a new Yes Lifecycle Marketing survey reveals that more than half of Millennials (remember them?) have a separate account for brand emails and check it frequently. The lesson: make sure your brand email has something relevant to say.
The survey data reveals email proves particularly influential in driving purchases and engaging Millennials. Despite 58 percent of Millennials maintaining a separate email account just for brand communication, 83 percent have made a purchase from email in the past three months. This indicates they want to receive brand emails but don't want to clog their primary inboxes.
"A Marketer's Guide to Reaching the Generations" surveyed over one thousand consumers and reveals that more than one in three have a separate email account for brand messages. Nearly two-thirds (62 percent) of consumers who have a separate email account for promotions check it frequently, whereas only half of consumers who don't have a separate account check their personal account for brand emails on a frequent basis. Money quote from Yes Lifecycle Marketing president Michael Fisher:
"As the number of channels marketers can use to interact with consumers grow, customer preferences will continue to evolve. By analyzing customer data, particularly by generation, marketers can gain a better grasp of their target audiences' needs and preferences in order to better meet their customers where they are."
The report also reveals that most consumers check their email for brand promotions at home, either in the morning (32%) or evening (31%). A solid one in four consumers look for brand emails throughout the day. Centennials are most likely to check email on the go and to pass time. They check for marketing emails while commuting (6%) or waiting in line (14%). Generation X, on the other hand, is most likely to check their emails at all times of the day.
Additional findings include:
More than two-thirds of consumers (68%) have made a purchase after receiving a brand email in the past three months.
Only 26 percent of Baby Boomers have a separate email account for brand messages.
Centennials are less engaged with email than all other generations: 40 percent have not made a purchase from email in the past three months. Almost half of Millennials (47%) have made three or more purchases via email recently, twice as many as Centennials.
And even more findings, summarized helpfully by MediaPost:
Centennials:
57 percent of Centennials say quality drives their loyalty to a brand more than any other factor, even more so than price (55%), nearly 10% higher than any other generation. All other generations value price the most
50 percent of Centennials based their last purchase decision on product quality, more than any other generation. This age group was also influenced more than other generations by free shipping (59%), brand prestige (11%) and special experiences like in-store events (4%)
Centennials prefer to find customized gifts for everyone they know (35%) rather than hunt for bargains or make decisions based on convenience
Millennials:
Millennials are more likely than other generations to remain loyal to a brand because of its loyalty rewards (22%) and its company reputation or philosophy (15%)
Millennials care about loyalty rewards more than other generations, with 15 percent saying points influenced their most recent purchase
A third of Millennials describe themselves as quality-first shoppers (34%) – on par with those who say they consider price first (34%)
Millennials consider themselves thoughtful gift-givers, with 38 percent spending the time to find unique presents for family and friends
Millennials are more likely than any generation to find email (67%) and mobile apps (61%) important when making a purchase decision
Generation X:
85 percent of Generation X consumers report that discounts influenced their last purchase. But a little less than half recently made a purchase based on product quality (45%)
Generation X consumers are the most likely to be bargain hunters (36%) when shopping for others, although a quarter (25%) say they seek out unique gifts for loved ones
Generation X values email (59%), and is less interested in other digital channels like social or display
Baby Boomers:
When it comes to factors that drive brand loyalty, Boomers led the generations: price (62%), convenience (30%) and product variety (21%)
Convenience influenced Baby Boomers the most for recent purchases (36%), and care less about quality than any other generation
Half of Baby Boomers call themselves price-savvy shoppers (50%), far more than younger generations
Baby Boomers are the least likely to buy gifts for others around the holidays (12%); when they do, this generation of shoppers mainly looks for bargains (33%)
Baby Boomers rank direct mail higher than any other generation (59%), while 59 percent also say they value email. Only 19 percent say they value social
As always, the caveat for marketers is that each generation is made up of individuals, not lockstep automatons, and so the best way to leverage generational data is to test its' assumptions via personalized, one-to-one marketing.
Download the full report here.
