Memorial Day deals are almost as much of a tradition as barbecues on the holiday weekend, and Memorial Day 2017 saw lots of deals – especially in the inbox.
The question is, were people paying attention to email last weekend? We kept an eye on open rates and read lengths throughout the weekend. Here’s what we found.
Desktop opens took a dip
In our Mother’s Day email report just two weeks ago, we saw high smartphone open rates at 58%, with desktop opens at 27%. During Memorial Day weekend, desktop opens took a dip down to 25.72%.
While it’s only a slight decrease, it’s likely due to fewer people being at home. More people vacation during Memorial Day weekend than they do during Mother’s Day weekend, so keep this in mind when planning any campaigns around long holiday weekends.
Desktop: 25.72%
Smartphone: 58.85%
Tablet: 15.43%
iPhone users had the longest attention spans for email
It’s typical for the iPhone to have high read-lengths, and Memorial Day weekend was no exception. We continue to see Android smartphone users skim email very briefly (just like we did a few weeks ago) , with 46.3% of them reading emails for 0-3 seconds.
Thursday saw high read lengths
No surprises here; when people were more likely to be at work and behind their desks, 51.2% of them were reading email for 15+ seconds. The end of the holiday weekend saw the most people skimming emails, with nearly 26% reading for just 0-3 seconds on both days.
Saturday was big for mobile email opens
Mobile email opens rose to 60.6% on Saturday, which could indicate a few things. For one, shoppers on the go were on the lookout for sales and other Memorial Day deals. Another possibility is that those who booked weekend travel were scoping out their inbox for transactional emails with important travel information like hotel receipts and confirmation numbers.
Takeaways
— Long holiday weekends are peak times for travel. No matter what industry you’re in, be aware that the way your customers interact with your emails might change during that time. Want to collect data and stay ahead of their shopping habits? Try sending a live poll in advance of the holiday weekend, then follow up with email content that is relevant to their answer.
— Speaking of travel, holiday weekends are a big opportunity for travel marketers. It’s more important than ever to include accurate rates and inventory, so consider adding real-time pricing and inventory to your holiday weekend emails to ensure your customers can easily book last-minute deals. Download the Real-Time Pricing Solution to get inspiration for your next campaign.
— Finally, design for your customer’s attention spans. Even though attention spans are increasing overall, your email content still has to be relevant – especially during holiday weekends when people are busy and on the go. Here are some useful tips for great email design in your transactional emails.