Sendinblue, a leader in digital marketing, analyzed changes in consumer behavior in 4 countries and their relationship to digital marketing tools.
While the French have largely changed their shopping behavior during the pandemic, particularly by consuming primarily in small stores, they have nonetheless maintained their attachment to one of the oldest marketing tools… email.
The email that can still hold a candle to the digital giants Facebook and Instagram today…
Now more than ever, email plays a central role in marketing strategies.
At a time when we are oversaturated with information on social networks, the French always seem to want to be updated on the latest news from their favorite stores and brands via email.
This marketing imperative seems to be ingrained in their consumption habits, but not only.
Digital marketing platform Sendinblue analyzed the behavior of Americans, English, Germans and French in terms of their marketing targeting preferences in a CIRE Research survey conducted in June 2021.
The results are surprising…
Email in the heart of the French…
With the pandemic, consumers began flashing their promotional emails, text messages with promotional information, and QR codes. Habits that seem to last…
In France, email and SMS to get information from small traders are even ahead of all generations, Facebook and Instagram!
Because French respondents find it “convenient” (55%), “easy to use” (50%) and “feels personalized” (25%).
A consensus among the interviewees is that the older generation communicates about once a week and the younger generation more frequently. Provided the message contains promos (30%), advice (25%) and relevant, personalized content (26%).
For 62% of the French, email remains the preferred means of communication for all generations.
Next comes SMS for 48%, Facebook for 36% and Instagram for 29%.
27% open their marketing emails, 26% use QR codes, 25% more SMS notifications, 21% more push notifications and +17% live chat.
… And not only
This tendency to prefer email is generally shared by the 4 countries surveyed. 66% of respondents in the US prefer email to get information from retailers.
In the UK, 70% prefer this means of communication. The country least inclined to do so is Germany at 52%, but it’s still more than every second German.
Overall, email is a strong preference for consumers around the world (around 62%). In second place in the world rankings we find SMS, celebrated by 40% of the world’s population. Then comes Facebook at 36% and Instagram at just 33%.
By far the last on the list is the social network Twitter, with just 11% of respondents globally preferring this network to get information from small retailers.
E-mail thus remains the preferred means of communication between customers and companies, far ahead of social networks.
A true global trend, email is affecting all demographics and is becoming the safest and most accurate tool for marketers around the world.
The email to catch up on small business news
The Covid pandemic has strengthened the bond between consumers and small retailers: 57% of consumers who have increased their purchases from small businesses due to the pandemic are more likely to shop there in person from small businesses going forward.
In addition, the opening of emails, QR codes and SMS notifications has seen sharp increases during the pandemic.
This trend is largely driven by changing consumer behavior. In fact, today more than 60% of the world’s population wants to receive information from small businesses via email.
These merchants have an advantage they ignore: the relationship can extend largely online because consumers trust them more than large groups when it comes to digital communications and data security!
Not only that, local businesses are perceived as providing better customer service and a more personalized experience (53% of respondents). And they deliver faster (44%)!
In the end, 46% of respondents to the CITE Research – Sendinblue survey preferred their online experience with small businesses and local businesses…
While the primary goal of email is informational, the content of the message must be effective. Surprisingly, the French are known for their pragmatism.
Among Germans, 37% say they are encouraged to spend more if the message is humorous, the French are last at 20% and 74% of French prefer discounts, among Germans it’s only 51%…
The enamel celebrated by all generations
In France, email is the number one choice for Millennials, Gen-Xers, Baby Boomers and 62% of the French overall.
In the world, younger generations (Gen-Z and Millennials) are generally more sensitive to communication via Instagram (56% of them want to be contacted via this network) but don’t rule em outGarlic, as long as it looks “interesting” (to 28% of GenZ) and “pro” (25%).
Surprisingly, in Germany the preference for Instagram is significantly higher than in other countries, while the preference for email is lower there.
prefer Germans youtubemaking it a leading channel in this country.
50% of respondents would like to receive information once or several times a week. Those most likely to receive all types of messages are Gen-Z and Millennials.
Gen-Z has special requirements when it comes to entertaining content (57% once a week or more) and humorous (56%), while Millennials prefer to receive offers (55%), personalized content (51%) and fun content (51%).
The younger generations are therefore looking for targeted, personalized communication with strong messages.
On the other hand, Gen-Z and Millennial generations are even willing to share highly sensitive information such as their sexual orientation (60% / 61%), their political opinions (51% / 54%) and their income (50%) in order to receive appropriate notifications .
