• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, August 29, 2024

Email marketers are going full tilt as kids return to school and the Halloween selling season begins.

But they better be careful: Parents are overwhelmed by the volume of email hitting their inboxes.

The average parent receives 80 emails a month related to their kids alone, or four a day, and some are getting overlooked, judging by Back-To-School Email Survey Results, a recent study from Yahoo conducted by Censuswide.

Of the parents surveyed, 62% admit they have missed a key event or detail in their email inbox, and 71% feel like bad parents when this happens. Moreover, 56% feel they receive too many emails, and 22% can never find the email they’re looking for. 

The average parent has over 2,000 unread emails in their inbox at any given time, and this jumps to 2,800 for those in the 20-34 age group. 

Things are so intense that 29% find dealing with their personal email more stressful than their work email. And 48% wish they could have an “out of office” notice on their personal inboxes. 

What’s more, 52% feel overwhelmed by their personal inboxes, and 49% say they add to their mental burden as a parent. Also, 37% feel that email interferes with quality family time.

In addition, the average parent has over 2,000 unread emails in their inbox at any given time, and this jumps to 2,800 for those in the 20-34 age group. 

What is Yahoo doing to help? As part of its desktop experience update, it is providing a priority inbox that flags critical emails that should not be missed. And one AI-driven feature summarizes important emails. After that, it’s up to the parents. 

Censuswide surveyed over 2,000 parents and caregivers with school-age children.