Email is still king when it comes to mobile conversion

Despite many marketers now focusing their efforts on geo-targeting, mobile games and augmented reality, email offers are the most likely marketing tactic to trigger a purchase on a smartphone or tablet.

That’s according to the new State of Digital Commerce report from Episerver, a global provider of a single platform to smartly manage digital content, commerce and marketing in the cloud.

According to the report, which surveyed 1,200 UK consumers, one in five have made a purchase on their phone following an email offer. Despite this, nearly a third of marketers (30%) do not incorporate email promotions into their mobile marketing campaigns.

Episerver’s findings also highlight that only 13% of consumers have made a purchase as a result of mobile coupons, 8% have bought as a result of app notifications and only 7% have made a purchase off the back of an SMS promotion.

QR codes and NFC ads came in at the very bottom of the list with only 5% of consumers triggered to make a purchase from a promotion like this.

Commenting on these findings, James Norwood, CMO at Episerver, said, “While mobile marketers are increasingly focused on innovative new technologies such as augmented reality and gamified promotions, the fact is that traditional technologies such as email campaigns still have an important role to play in the mobile marketing mix.

“Rather than getting too caught up in what’s considered new, marketers should instead focus on the tools that provide the best results. As our research shows, email marketing remains a vital asset in the mobile space.”