New here? This is Inbox Hacking, a Free Newsletter for fearless email marketers wanting to level up. Email marketing insights, tools, & tactics sent twice per week. Someone forwarded you our Newsletter? Sign up for your Free subscription. On tap todayâ segmenting insights using 28 fresh generational facts and buying habits.
July 4th is about to light up the night, so ready those Independence Day emails asap. And use caution with things that go boom (((for real))).
As for today, weâre digging into what makes your subscribers tick and click on a generational level. Segmenting your email list is one of the best tactics an email marketer can utilize. But it would help to know more about the subscribers youâre grouping together. These 28 facts will give you a clearer picture of your audienceâs likes, dislikes, and habits.
Age Segmentation Fast Facts
Gen Z 18-25: Trusts social proof to the max (and little else)
Millennials 26-40: Comfortable buying via social media, SMS, & email
Gen X 41-55: Prefers in-store shopping or online big-box shops, considered super-loyal
Baby Boomers 56-75: Value hunters with deepest pockets of any generation
Age Group Inbox Buy-In
Americans as a whole are cool with buying via email.
55% bought directly from a marketing email in 2022.
Thatâs 8% higher than other global shoppers.
Gen Z bought the least via email (41% of them compared to 61%+ for other age groups)
*BTW banner ads perform 12% better outside the U.S.
Who Values a Buck Most?
Young whipper snappers learned something from their grandparents becauseâŠ
Boomers and Gen Zers were most concerned with getting a good deal. Millennials were least concerned by a large margin and instead are more into convenience.
Millennials also care most about brandsâ values. Gen Z mayâve figured out most brand âvaluesâ are dog-and-pony shows that will switch to pony-only shows if public opinion shifts to anti-dog. Boomers cared the least and are just trying to get dinner by 4:45 pm so they can get home.
Now, on-phone purchases.
Mobile Money & Age Segmentation
Overall, 48% of Americans are into âshowroomingâ – browsing (loiteringđ) in a physical store for items they will buy online later.
âA bit of a shock that digital content was purchased on mobile by 56% of people.
âSMS / MMS messages lead to purchases say 45% of respondents.
Which Gen bought on mobile most? Millennials.
đ°44% of all e-commerce sales expected to be on mobile by 2024 (Zippia)
đ°40% of Cyber Monday sales come via mobile devices
đ°55% of buyers make a purchase on their phone after seeing a product on social media
Regardless of Age Segmentation, Nobody Wants a Hassle, so Beware
36% of mobile cart abandonments result from Millennial impatience? Boomer tech struggles? NopeâŠ
- #1 is navigation problems
- Small images
- Security concerns
- Last is checkout process
Me Me Me Me VIP
All 4 Gens are swayed by brands that go the extra mile to make them feel like a VIP. 79% said so. 20% higher than global buyers.
Boomers (63%) arenât nearly as impressed by brands that âsurprise + delightâ them as Gen Z and Millennials (83%) are. Good to know when deciding which segment to lavish with attention, huh?
Who are You Again?
Age segmentation helps avoid not knowing the customer or client at all. Sending irrelevant content and offering really irks Boomers. Theyâll run you off their lawn and inbox.
With all generations a bit more cautious handing out data, itâs hard to get personalized emails and offers right.
But these screw-ups are easy to avoid:
- Sending product promos to subscribers who just bought the product
- Messaging to long-time readers that sounds like they just arrived on your list
- Cross-selling or upselling a service that a segment has zero need for
Also, nearly 40% of Americans were ticked off about data being used that they did not share with an organization. Example: Socks-R-Us emails you a voucher for a free pair meant to keep ânaked sleepersâ warmđŠ¶.
What Moves the Needle for Each Generation?
I mentioned social proof is big with Gen Z. But Boomers like experts – you know, trustworthy peeps like government suits.
92% of Baby Boomers buy into reviews before making a purchase. Just 8% of them look to any type of influencer. If you have an older segment on your list, mix in reviews next to your emailâs CTA.
Two-thirds of Gen Z would take TikTok over all streaming services if stranded on an island. So your youngest email segment is likely to respond to GIFs in emails linked to short-form organic vids.
(Fact #28)
38% of Gen X say brands shouldnât take social stands / 26% of them arenât sure (aka scared to sayđ ). So this segment prolly wonât be moved by a brandâs decision to provide needles for wayward DJs.
Millennials at 26 are not the same as 39-year-old Millennials. At 26, they can legally be on their parentsâ health insurance. At 39 theyâre making pediatrician appointments for their own kids. Segmentation needs to be as laser-focused as possible.
Those facts will help you make more sales via email. Just donât forget that with every sale, thatâs an opportunity to segment even more precisely.
Keep reading for fresh stats and todayâs asap hack
Knowledge Base
đKnowledge is power, no reallyâŠ
Donât underestimate the impact of acquaintances.
đ€Alternative way to track trends (Subreddit ranking).
Hear breakdowns of new marketing books via this podcast.
đExpand your newsletter to LinkedIn (how-to video).
Trashed
đź Landfills contain megatons of flyers, postcards, and sales letters. Most trashed before readers even read the business name on the paper.
Same with marketing emails. No digital weight but still a giant waste.
Protect your email campaigns from being trashed before readers even see your subject line.
You can get up to 7 out of 10 emails opened and read with Inbox Mailers.
Yep, up to 70% open rates. Not only that. Click volume increases too.
*sponsored
Self Help
Got a friend with a small business?
Hit reply to send me their website. Iâll shout âem out over the next few weeks.
If they own a cookie co., even better. Iâll buy them out⊠or at least a boxđȘđ.
*Shout-out to Inbox Hackers:
đ«Mary Helen at Roberts (university)
đ§Rebecca at Oak Street Funding
Facts and Stats
- Direct purchases via email trounced banner ad purchases by 139% last year (Cheetah Digital)
- Inflation has caused a 10 percentage point drop in consumer boycotts (Morning Consult)
- Gen Z trusts brands half as much as Boomers & Gen X (The Hustle)
Bonus: Gmail was missing what until the night before it launched? Answer… a logo
Email Strategy a Hot Mess?
đ„Appleâs MPP has muddied email metrics for marketers.
đ„2023 is seeing new spam filtering troubles. 1 in 6 legitimate emails fail to make it to the inbox.
đ„Budget struggles for B2B & B2C targets.
đ„As for deliverability? Itâs tough to comprehend and full of variables that have marketers on shaky ground. Inbox placement for B2B could be as low as 68%.
đ§ŻA simple solution that puts out these dumpster fires? Inbox Mailers.
*sponsored
Marketing Musings
3 ways for your campaigns to stand out:
- Use the same oddball emoji 95% of the time in subject lines
- Be so irreverent that you amaze yourself or wonder how you donât get fired
- Donât borrow othersâ stories, amp up your own (no one else has access to yours)
Get Hacking
Did ya know?
Fingerprint evidence is not 100% accurate. Super-sketchy according to this report.
đĄLittle-known nuggets related to your business make for curiosity-fueled subject lines that get emails opened.
*Know other legendary email marketers? Please forward Inbox Hacking to them.
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