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More than half of mobile sales originating from email made on a tablet

November 12, 2013

A new report from email marketing services provider Yesmail Interactive, an Infogroup company, finds that 56 percent of mobile online sales originating from a marketing email take place on an iPad. 

Using Yesmail's proprietary After-the-Click tracking technology, more than 5 billion marketing emails sent by the company in the third quarter were analyzed and cross referenced with mobile data. Across industries, more than 16 percent of sales driven by email were carried out on a mobile device. Of those mobile purchases, 56 percent occur on a tablet and the remainder on a smartphone. In the tablet category, iPads account for more than 99 percent of sales.

While the average dollar amount of an order originating from email is lower on mobile devices, revenue per mobile click is almost double that of a desktop click. By device, 82 percent of all email opens and clicks occur on Apple devices. Of smartphone purchases originating through email, 59 percent occur on an iPhone and the remainder on Android. iPads account for 25 percent of all mobile opens and clicks and almost 99 percent of opens and clicks on a tablet.

"Emails opened on mobile have a better chance of reaching consumers at the right place and right time during the busy holiday shopping season," said Michael Fisher, president of Yesmail Interactive. "Marketers should recognize that 'mobile' doesn't always equal 'smartphone.' Focus on tablet users for holiday campaigns, as 56 percent of mobile shoppers use tablets for their purchases."

Other mobile findings from Yesmail's Email Marketing Compass report include:

• The iPhone accounts for 26 percent of mobile email purchases; Android smartphones for 18 percent.
• The average dollar amount per order driven by email is $9 lower on a mobile device, across industries ($78.96 on mobile vs. $88.32 on desktops). For the retail industry, the gap shrinks to $2 ($58.64 vs. $61.06).
• Mobile shoppers are closer to purchase than desktop shoppers. Revenue per mobile click is almost double that of a desktop click ($7.14 vs. $3.26). While mobile emails are clicked less often, they lead to purchase more often.
• Since the last Email Compass Report release, the shift to mobile continues to accelerate. The number of email subscribers who view emails exclusively on their mobile device has increased by almost 50 percent. Simultaneously, the number of "hybrid" users who view emails on desktop and mobile interchangeably, has decreased at roughly the same rate, by 50 percent.

Read more about consumer behavior.