Cross-generational e-mail use is indispensable today, as a study by United Internet Media shows. The article highlights the differences between the generations and emphasises the importance of target group-specific communication in email marketing. It also looks at usage along the customer journey as well as security and trust aspects.
Indispensable communication channel🗣️
The study asked which application they would choose if they could only use one. The surprising result: 24 per cent preferred email, followed by instant messenger (22 per cent), online banking (19 per cent), search engines (12 per cent) and social networks (seven per cent). The high use of email in the DACH region explains its indispensability, with around 90 per cent in Germany and Austria and 98 per cent in Switzerland.
Online Shopping 🛍️
Almost everyone appreciates emails, but what do we mainly use to communicate? Most people use their email address primarily to log in to online shops. Baby boomers also often use it for online banking (71 per cent), while Gen X often uses it for online payment services (76 per cent). Millennials use their email address for social networks 86 per cent of the time, while Gen Z also uses it for video streaming (84 per cent).
Customer Journey 👩💻
Email is indispensable during the customer journey: 90 per cent use it to register and discover new products. Around 90 per cent also use it to contact retailers and customer service. Gen X and millennials show the highest values at the beginning of the customer journey: 95 per cent of the latter register with shops or price comparison sites using their email address. Gen Z uses email most frequently for parcel tracking.
Trustworthy 🤝
Emails are favoured over instant messengers and social networks in terms of security and trustworthiness. Older generations trust these channels more. Marketers should continue to pay attention to email marketing in view of the low costs and high level of control. Rasmus Giese, CEO of United Internet Media, emphasises the importance of targeted investments in dynamic email marketing.
