E-mail’s Future? There’s More on the Way
What will e-mail marketing be like in five years? First, readers should keep in mind I’m the guy who predicted in the late ’90s that AOL was going down due to its appalling treatment of customers, and that the new VW Beetle would never take off.
I’m finally being vindicated on the first prediction and was laughably wrong on the second. But I’ve been asked to write a piece predicting how e-mail will look for marketers in five years, so here goes.
Contrary to some expert proclamations, e-mail is not dead. It’s not dying. It’s not going to die. It’s not even sick. People are addicted to it now. They’ll be even more addicted to it.
Of the e-mail users surveyed by AOL this summer, 46% say they’re hooked on the medium, up from 15% in 2007.
Half check their messages at least four times a day, and a fifth 10 times.
The survey also shows a blurring of the line between work and home.
For example, 62% of those who use e-mail at the office look at their work messages during e typical weekend. And 19% check them five or more times.
Another 28% do this while on vacation
