Litmus is a proud industry leader, trusted by 700,000 marketing professionals including 80% of the Fortune 100. In order to help email marketers better understand the marketing landscape, we surveyed 1,000 U.S. consumers about their email preferences and summarized some of the key findings below.
Email Quantity
- 67% of consumers say they receive too many daily emails.
- 81% of Baby Boomers say they receive too many emails.
- Less than 50% of Gen Z think they receive too many emails.
Key Email Quantity Takeaway
While a majority of consumers feel overwhelmed by frequent emails from the same company, feelings vary across age groups. Baby Boomers express the most frustration, with 81% reporting email fatigue. Yet, less than half of Gen X share the same concern.
This data suggests companies should carefully calibrate their email marketing strategies based on age. Take an age-targeted approach that respects individual communication thresholds and preferences.
Email Types
- The three most engaging email types:
- Promotional offers and discounts
- Order confirmations and shipping updates
- Product recommendations
- The three least engaging email types:
- Educational content related to products/services
- Newsletters
- Company news and updates
- 78% of respondents ranked promos and discount emails in the top three most engaging types of email.
- Nearly 50% of respondents and 66% of Gen Z ranked them first.
Key Email Types Takeaway
Consumer email preferences reveal a clear divide between informational and transactional content. Promotional offers and discounts dominate engagement metrics, with 78% of respondents highlighting these emails as of top interest.
Generational differences are also clear with Gen Z showing stronger enthusiasm—nearly 50% place promotional emails at the top of their inbox preferences. In contrast, educational materials, newsletters and company updates struggle to capture audience attention. This suggests that consumers prioritize perceived value over broader corporate communication.
Email Personalization
- Only 25% of Baby Boomers find personalization “extremely” or “very important.”
- Nearly 60% of Millennials and Gen Z find it “extremely” or “very important.”
- 52% of consumers notice name personalization, 40% notice personalization based on past purchases, and 39% notice product recommendations based on browsing history.
- People find exclusive offers based on loyalty status, product recommendations based on past purchases, and content tailored to interests as the most valuable components in emails.
- Reminders related to recent activities, location-based offers or events, and personalized product usage tips are the least important.
- 57% said they would be more likely to engage with marketing emails that contain exclusive offers and discounts.
Key Email Personalization Takeaway
Millennials and Gen Z consumers value tailored content more than older generations. Marketers can boost engagement by focusing on exclusive offers tied to loyalty status, curating product recommendations that reflect individual purchase patterns, and creating content that aligns with specific user interests.
While younger consumers are more receptive to email personalization, the wider appeal of targeted discounts and exclusive promotions suggests that these elements can drive email marketing effectiveness across generational lines.
Harness the power of email personalization
Create 1:1 experiences using email personalization that goes beyond “Hello, %%first_name%%” with dynamic and real-time content.
Data Privacy
- Only 20% of baby boomers are “very” or “somewhat comfortable” with companies using their data, with 51% “very” or “somewhat uncomfortable,” while 49% of millennials and 51% of Gen Z are “very” or “somewhat comfortable.”
- Only 17% of consumers would share location-based data with companies they trust, while nearly 50% would share name and basic contact information and purchase history.
Key Data Privacy Takeaway
Consumer attitudes toward data privacy reveal a stark generational divide. While older generations express significant reservations about data usage, younger demographics show more openness to sharing personal information.
Although most are hesitant about location tracking, nearly half would willingly share fundamental contact details and purchase history with trusted organizations. This suggests that building consumer trust is more important than the type of data being collected, with younger consumers demonstrating a more flexible approach to data exchange compared to their baby boomer counterparts.
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