Triggered email campaigns cut through inbox clutter

Triggered emails may only account for a small percentage of all emails sent, but they are twice as likely to be opened than general email messages, according to new research from Yes Lifecycle Marketing.

by Helen Leggatt

Triggered emails account for just 2% of all emails sent, yet they generate 10.2% of email-driven revenue and 9.7% of email-driven orders, found Yes Lifecycle Marketing's study.

That's because triggered emails tick all the right boxes - they are relevant, timely and personalized. Furthermore, they are designed to generate an immediate response which, says Michael Fisher, president of Yes Lifecycle Marketing, "is a crucial step in the path to conversion".

Triggered emails were also found to have double the click-to-open (CTO) rate (22.5% vs 11.1%) and more than four times the unique click rate of general email campaigns (6.5% vs 1.6%).

However, the study found that those marketers who implement trigger data in email campaigns are not necessarily focusing on the type that work best. Three-quarters (72%) of brands were found to send welcome emails to new customers, of which 2% of the messages led to purchases, yet far fewer send re-marketing and milestone triggers, such as anniversary and birthday emails, which significantly outperform welcome emails.

"As email volume continues to increase, it becomes more and more difficult for marketers to stand out from the noise and effectively engage consumers", says Fisher. "Triggered campaigns tackle this challenge head on."