Millennials are more likely to use Facebook and Twitter to show support for their favorite brands, but when they're ready to purchase they use email—by signing up for coupon-loaded newsletters, according to a study by ExactTarget.
Online Millennials (consumers now age 15-24) are twice as likely to subscribe to a brand's or retailer's email newsletter to find deals and promotions as they are to search for them on Facebook: 56% vs. 28%.
Below, other findings from ExactTarget's Email X-Factor study.
Consumers have grown accustomed to using email to engage with brands: Among online consumers who actively seek promotions from a particular brand, 62% say they opt in to receive that brand's emails, compared with 17% of consumers who check Facebook and 3% who check Twitter.
Motivations for Subscribing to Email
Asked what factors motivate them to give a company or organization their email address, 67% of online consumers cite discounts and promotions, followed by freebies (55%) and updates on upcoming sales (50%).
Just 14% of online consumers say they want to interact with brands and 11% want to show their support.
Online women are more likely to be motivated by deals:
- 67% of online women say they have signed up for email in order to obtain deals and promotions; 57% of online men say they have done so.
- 65% of women say they have offered their email address in exchange for a "freebie" (vs. 44% of men).
Online teens are more likely than older consumers to be motivated by "social" factors:
- 43% of online teens say they have signed up for email newsletters for fun and entertainment; 28% of consumers age 18+ say they have done so.
- 27% of teens say they have signed up for an email newsletters because someone recommended it to them (vs. 16% of adults 18+).
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Email Volume
Online consumers receive on average 44 emails a day (commercial and personal)—of which roughly 25% are permission-based commercial messages.
Online teens receive roughly half the number of emails that online adults do—but that level increases significantly when those teens graduate from high school, suggesting perhaps that life stage, rather than age, is an important factor when considering how much consumers rely on email.
Some 49% of online consumers say they "always" open emails from their "favorite" companies, compared with 16% who say they never open those emails.
About the data: Findings are based on an ExactTarget survey of 1,506 consumers age 15+, conducted April 9-13, 2010, and consumer interviews among 44 people in March 2010.
