• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, February 1, 2011

According to a new comScore study on U.S. consumers' evolving email behaviors, the number of visitors to web-based email sites declined 6% compared to the previous year, while email engagement declined at an even greater rate. During the same time period, the number of users accessing email via their mobile devices grew by 36% as an increasingly complex digital environment influenced consumers' communication habits.

Mark Donovan, comScore senior vice president of mobile, says "... the decline in web-based email is a byproduct of... shifting dynamics and the increasing availability of on-demand communication options... from PCs to mobile devices, whether email, social media, IM or texting, consumers... can (communicate) at any time and in any place..."

In November 2010, more than 153 million people visited web-based email providers, decreasing 6% from the previous year. In terms of engagement, overall time spent in the email category declined 9%, while total pages viewed dropped 15%. Despite such declines, however, email remains one of the most popular activities on the web, reaching more than 70% of the U.S online population each month.

Web-based Email Category UsageNovember 2010 vs. November 2009 (Total U.S. - Home, Work and University Locations)
	Email Category
	Nov ‘09	Nov ‘10	% Change
Total Unique Visitors (000)	162,908	153,363	-6
Total Minutes (MM)	47,862	43,374	-9
Total Pages Viewed (MM)	44,840	38,204	-15
Source: comScore Media Metrix, January 2011

Email users between the ages of 12-17 showed the sharpest decline in usage during the past year, declining 24%, while engagement fell by half as total minutes decreased 48% and total pages dropped 53%. Engagement also declined among users 18-54, as a general shift in email behavior was evident across most segments.

In contrast, usage increased 15% among those 55 and over, with similar gains in engagement, while those age 65+ experienced gains across all three metrics as well. Males displayed a more dramatic decline in usage than females, with total email minutes falling 12% for males compared to 7% among females.

Web-based Email Category Usage for PC-Internet (November 2010 vs. November 2009 Total U.S. - Home, Work and University Locations)
	% Change Unique Visitors	% Change Total Minutes	% Change Total Pages
Gender
Males	-12%	-12%	-19%
Females	1%	-7%	-11%
Age
12-17	-24%	-48%	-53%
18-24	9%	-10%	-14%
25-34	1%	-11%	-15%
35-44	1%	-14%	-18%
45-54	-6%	-12%	-16%
55-64	16%	15%	9%
65+	8%	17%	13%
Source: comScore Media Metrix, January 2011

  Email usage via mobile devices has experienced significant growth over the past year, driven largely by increased smartphone adoption. In November 2010, 70.1 million mobile users (30% of all mobile subscribers) accessed email on their mobile, an increase of 36% from the previous year. Daily usage of email showed an even greater increase growing 40% as users turned to their mobile devices on a nearly daily basis for their email communication needs.

Mobile Email Usage (3 Month Avg. Ending Nov. 2010 vs. 3 Month Avg. Ending Nov. 2009; Total U.S. Mobile Subscribers Ages 13+)
	Total Mobile Audience (000)
	Nov-09	Nov-10	% Change
Used email ever in month	51,639	70,105	36%
Used email almost every day	31,161	43,477	40%
Source: comScore MobiLens, January 2011

Younger age groups showed a higher probability of accessing email from their mobile devices compared to older segments. Persons age 25-34 were 60% more likely to access email than an average mobile user, with those between the ages of 18-24 being 46% more likely to do so, representing the two age segments with the highest propensity. Overall, males were 14% more likely to be users of mobile email.

Mobile Email Usage by Demographic Segment (3 Month Avg. Ending Nov. 2010; Total U.S. Mobile Subscribers Ages 13+)
	Index*
Gender
Males	114
Females	87
Age
12-17	106
18-24	146
25-34	160
35-44	124
45-54	88
55-64	50
65+	25
Source: comScore MobiLens, January 2011
(*Index = % mobile email users / % mobile users. Index of 100 indicates average representation.)

Donovan concludes that "... these findings demonstrate how quickly channel shifts can occur and why it's essential for media brands to have a strong presence in both arenas... in a relatively short period of time, adoption of mobile email has reached 78% of the smartphone population... "

For more information from comScore, please visit here.