10 most interesting digital marketing stats from this week

By Jack Simpson @ Econsultancy

Can you feel the excitement in the air? Could it be because it’s Friday? Or because most of us got paid today? Or perhaps it’s because there’s a bank holiday coming up?

Don’t be silly. It’s obviously because the time has come for your weekly dose of digital marketing stats courtesy of the Econsultancy round-up. 

This week we’ll be covering everything from email marketing to online conversion rates and selfie sticks.

63% of consumers prefer to be contacted by email

A new study by Adobe claims that marketers are failing to engage ‘email addicts’. 

While 63% say they prefer to be contacted by email, only 20% favour direct mail, 6% social media, 5% the brand’s mobile app, 4% text message and 2% phone.  

This shows that email contact is favoured way above even the second most-preferred form of contact from brands, suggesting that email marketing should still be high on every digital marketer’s agenda. 

Facebook has 1bn users in a single day

According to founder Mark Zuckerberg, over 1bn people used Facebook on a single day for the first time since its creation.

In a recent post on the social network, Zuckerberg described the news as “an important milestone” and highlighted the fact that “one in seven people on Earth used Facebook to connect with their friends and family.” 

Third of European and US marketers struggle to create personalisation through data

According to a new infographic by Yieldr, marketers in these regions do not rate their ability to analyse data to create personalised customer experiences, with only 29% saying they do it well or very well. 

Online sales through mobile devices plateau

New data from IMRG and Capgemini has revealed that the percentage of online sales completed through mobile devices has stayed the same from one quarter to the next for the first time since 2010. 

This suggests that rapid growth in this area is finally beginning to slow.

The key stats:

• 42% of UK online sales were via mobile and tablet devices in Q2, unchanged from Q1.
• Rate has shot up rapidly since 2010. This is the first time it has remained static.

The percentage of visits to retail websites made via mobile devices continues to increase however, reaching 60% in Q2 2015/16, up from 58% in the previous quarter.

Online conversion rates drop

According to the latest Ecommerce Quarterly report from Monetate, online conversion rates dropped sharply in the first quarter of 2015. 

The study says global conversion rates had fallen to 2.32% in Q1 2015 compared to 2.54% a year earlier. 

Add to cart rates were also down in the same period: 7.39% in 2015 vs. 8.31% the previous year. 

Abandoned mobile purchases cost £6bn

More than a half of UK smartphone owners have abandoned a mobile transaction due to poor user experience according to a poll by Harris Interactive, costing retailers a potential £6bn. 

The study found that 55% of respondents had given up on a mobile purchase, while a quarter had abandoned attempts to open an online gaming (24%) or financial services (25%) account. 

Around one-third (32%) of those abandoning a transaction did not attempt it again. 

Email opens on Apple devices slow while Android rises across EU

The iPhone makes up almost a quarter (24%) of email opens and clicks in the UK, but this is an 8% decrease on 2014 according to new figures from SendGrid. 

The iPad has also suffered when it comes to email, seeing a 15% year-on-year decline across Europe. 

Android on the other hand is on the rise, with email usage on Android devices increasing by 68% across the EU.

Net-A-Porter achieves 3m page views with The Net Set

The Net Set is Net-A-Porter’s first venture in uniting its social media, fashion and shopping communities in one place. It enables luxury fashion brands to manage a real-time social dialogue with consumers. 

Since its launch in May, The Net Set has achieved 70,400 downloads, 3m page views and 620,000 ‘loved’ items. 

Net-A-Porter will be talking about the platform, which opened to the public as of 27th August, at the Festival of Marketing 2015 in November.

Customer feedback service truRating hits 500,000 ratings

Point of payment ratings system TruRating, which negates the problem of fake reviews by only allowing genuine customers to rate a product or service when their experience is fresh, has reached 500,000 ratings just five months after launching. 

This figure suggests that many UK consumers and businesses are seeking a fairer and more representative method to give and receive customer feedback. It follows a surge in fake reviews in the UK. 

What Londoners want from Amazon Prime Now: Marmite and selfie sticks

Amazon UK has released a new report covering what Londoners are ordering from its Prime Now service, where users can get items delivered within one hour of purchase. 

Spending habits differed according to post code, with North Londoners favouring parenting products such as baby wipes and nappies along with tennis balls and 500g jars of Marmite. 

South London favourites include adult colouring books, male grooming items, confectionary and hamster-related products such as food and bedding. 

In the West of the capital people appear to be healthiest, ordering wellness books and coconut water. They do also order plenty of champagne however. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, East Londoners are fond of selfie sticks, yoga mats and male grooming. Organic pet food and designer dog leads also score highly in this part of town.