Consumers are of two minds regarding email marketing.
Email is their preferred digital marketing channel. But it is also the one that irritates them the most, judging by a new study
from Optimove.
A mere 11% of shoppers say they have no unread marketing emails. But the remaining 89% have from dozens to thousands of unopened mesages.
When asked what would
most prompt them to open a marketing email, 41% of consumers cite one factor: a personalized offer tied to something they have shown some interest in.
Of the consumers
surveyed, 58% would welcome more emails because they deem them helpful, But of those who unsubscribe, 46% do so because they keep receiving the same messages, 18% because the emails are
unrelated to their interests, and 17% because the messages are generic.
"The winning strategy is not about more or fewer messages, it is about the right message, at the right moment, to
the right person," says Pink Yakuel, CEO of Optimove.
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Of the consumers polled, 60% prefer email to other channels, but 55% also find it more overwhelming than any other channel.
Meanwhile, 92% of consumers want to control the frequency and types of messages they receive. And 59% would use a message pause feature if one were available.
The research signals
where email marketing must go next. Ninety-two percent of consumers say they want to control the frequency and type of messages they receive. Fifty-nine percent say they would use a message pause
feature immediately if one were available, not to abandon the brand, but to manage the relationship on their own terms.
"Email remains one of the most powerful tools a marketer has,
but the data shows that power cuts both ways," says Yakuel. "Done well, email builds loyalty and drives purchase. Done poorly, it is the fastest way to lose a customer who was already yours.
The difference is relevance and the organizational ability to deliver it in real time."
Optimove surveyed 1,034 U.S. consumers aged 18+ in Q4 2025.