• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, June 24, 2010

A Cambridge, Mass.-based company specializing in email delivery has found that people are likely to spend more time reading messages on a mobile device than a desktop. Users of iPhones or Android-equipped devices are likely to spend 15% more time reading emails than people using Microsoft Outlook, according to Litmus.

The results are from a Litmus study of 14 million email recipients' behavior, using its recently launched Litmus Email Analytics product. The offering tracks metrics such as email consumption across platforms. But beyond open rates, it also moves into more granular details such as whether a message is forwarded, printed or filed in a folder -- marking various signs of engagement.

Before the end-game analysis, Litmus offers a service that provides marketers with a peek at how emails will appear on the various platforms. Clients that are concerned that, for example, an email will look skewed on a BlackBerry can then re-work things internally or with an outside design group.

A Litmus core offering is helping marketers by running tests to determine how best to avoid a SPAM filter at an ISP. The likes of AOL and Yahoo "are now actively monitoring engagement -- if few people are reading one company's emails, they'll start being blocked entirely," according to CEO Paul Farnell.

Litmus clients include JetBlue, Southwest Airlines and UK publisher the Guardian, which engaged the company to track how many coupons in an email were printed.

Other findings from the study using the 14 million samples were that over 50% of email recipients delete messages within two seconds after opening. But on a more positive note for marketers, it found that some with strong targeting are finding that 77% of recipients are spending 10 seconds or more reading.

Litmus does not send out emails a la an email service provider, but works with providers to ensure satisfactory delivery.