Study IDs optimal email days

Sending emails during the first half of the week may not be the best way to increase engagement. That's the takeaway from new Yesmail360 data which found that emails sent later in the week have both higher click and conversion rates.

by Kristina Knight

It may seem counterintuitive with the end of the week, and weekends being so busy for people, but according to new research out from Yesmail360, sending email messaging to consumers on the weekends may increase conversion rates. Researchers looked at emails sent through the second quarter of 2016 and found that open rates for Thursday-sent emails were 14% higher than those sent on other days of the week. Researchers also found that click rates were 41% higher and open rates were 24% higher.

"Based on this data, marketers may see best results by sending an initial email on Thursday and a follow-up over the weekend, but it's important to note that the best days to send emails depend on a number of different factors including a brand's industry, marketing goals, seasonal events, and more," said Michael Fisher, president of Yes Lifecycle Marketing. "Instead of looking at a single metric such as open rate or CTO, marketers should consider their brand's business objectives, marketing KPIs, customer purchase cycles and subscriber behavior in order to determine the most appropriate context and timing to reach their customers."

Other interesting findings from Yesmail's Q2 2016 Benchmark Report: Day of the Week Email Performance include:

• Thursday conversion rates were 23% below the Q2 average
• Saturday/Sunday emails showed 60% and 40% higher conversion rates
• Saturday accounted for 11% of email sends during Q2, Thursday accounted for 20%
• The highest average order value ($118.62) was found on Wednesday

Tags: email marketing, email marketing tips, email marketing trends, Yes Lifecycle Marketing, Yesmail360