Why Are American Brands Moving Away From Email Marketing?

When digital marketing was first getting going, email coupons were one of the key promotional strategies. The idea was to get customers to click through their emails and take advantage of discounts on websites, and they were hugely effective for a while.

Nowadays, though, customers are getting bombarded with emails from countless brands they’ve signed up to, and it’s much harder for companies to encourage people to read emails. That’s led to a shift away from traditional email coupons, with businesses trying to come up with more consumer-friendly ways to deliver value.

Audience Fatigue and Oversaturated Inboxes

According to research from EmailListVerify, the average person in a professional setting in the USA receives 121 emails per day. People are now more accustomed to deleting emails or marking them as spam, rather than opening them at all. This is known as inbox fatigue or email burnout, which can often lead to people unsubscribing from important messages.

This is a problem for companies that have relied on email marketing in the past, where they’ve offered coupons within the emails to drive traffic to their pages. It means that they need to reevaluate their methods and come up with new ways to connect with customers.

Consumers Want Real-Time, Relevant Offers

The problem with email marketing is that it’s often a scattergun approach that aims to attract some customers from a huge pool. A lot of the time, people will receive emails that aren’t relevant to them or their interests, and this is a problem that companies need to address.

One strategy is to place special offers in places where people are actively looking for them. For example, online casino players will often search through aggregator sites first to find the best deals. Operators like Golden Nugget ensure that their promo codes are visible on these pages so people can get the deals. The sign up offer is also available for players who directly visit the site, meaning that they don’t miss out.

Companies like Amazon rarely rely on email coupons these days either. Instead, the ecommerce giant often applies discounts to purchases automatically at checkout, making customers feel valued in real time. Food delivery apps also come with relevant, real-time offers, with Uber and DoorDash often hosting flash deals on certain restaurants. People who use the services frequently are often rewarded with special discounts at checkout as well, with Uber Pass users getting plenty of extra benefits.

Social and Mobile Channels Are Becoming Primary Deal Drivers

Another major shift has been towards reaching out to customers via social media platforms. Sites like Facebook and Instagram allow marketers to zone in on their target audiences more effectively than they can through email marketing.

Many companies are also offering their own apps where customers can get access to exclusive deals. Starbucks is famous for its in-app rewards, with many limited-time offers announced to customers on the day through notifications. Nike also rewards its loyal app users with early access to new product lines or special discounts.

Email coupons may still be effective in some situations, but there are plenty of other ways to reach customers now. The key is to make the offers feel timely and personalized, ensuring that customers feel like they’re getting incredible value.