Quarter of Europeans disengage with email not optimized for mobile

Research in Europe by Adobe (UK) reveals the extent of email use and reveals that Europeans are spending more time than ever checking their inbox, but opening very few emails.

by Helen Leggatt

In their analysis of the email habits of more than 3,000 professionals across Europe, Adobe found that people in France spend a whopping 99 days per year checking their email, more than those in the UK (92 days) or Germany (62 days).

People in the UK are most likely to check email on their smartphone (79%), followed by those in France (77%) and Germany (69%). However, across Europe, 22% said they will disengage with email that is not optimized for viewing on mobile. Having to scroll beyond one page was an annoyance for 23% of users viewing email on mobile, as are images that do not load.

Adobe also uncovered other email turn-offs. Brands that email too frequently were deemed annoying by nearly half (46%), and 29% are turned off by badly written email or promotions based on inaccurate profile data (22%). And, while emoji are widely used by people in their personal communications, nearly three-quarters (72%) said they were ineffective or only slightly effective within workplace email.

"Despite speculation over its demise, email continues to be one of the main channels we use to communicate. But people's expectations of email, including the way they write and respond to emails, is changing with mobile use - something marketers need to keep top-of-mind as they seek to better engage their customers and prospects," said John Watton, Marketing Director, Digital Marketing EMEA at Adobe.