In 2024, knowing the best day and time to reach your subscribers via SMS and email will be more important than ever. With inbox clutter at an all-time high, timing your messages right can dramatically impact open and click-through rates. This guide will overview the current research on optimal SMS and email scheduling to maximize your 2023 mobile and digital campaigns.
The best windows tend to be 1-5 PM in the afternoons from Tuesday to Thursday. Batch sending emails during these high-traffic periods leads to more opens and clicks.
HubSpot research spotted Tuesday afternoons at around 2 PM to have particularly high open rates across industries. Consider scheduling a regular “Tuesday Tips” email series for subscribers with personalized product recommendations, special deals, or company updates.
For example, the retailer Spring offers a “Last Minute Gifts” email series every Tuesday leading up to Christmas with same-day shipping items that taps into frantic shoppers.
9-11 AM tends to be the optimal scheduling for SMS campaigns with time-sensitive promotions, events, or offers. Messages sent in the late morning result in nearly double the conversions compared to weekday evenings.
Consider tying SMS promotions to events happening the same day rather than scheduling too far in advance. For example, a restaurant could text its subscribers at 10:30 AM about happy hour deals starting at 5 PM to drive visits.
Studies by SuperOffice indicate Mondays tend to be the lowest readership days. However, this makes them strategically useful for sending:
Having clear batch email days provides structure both internally and for setting subscriber expectations about when communications will arrive.
Using merge tags to include the subscriber's name and messaging matched to their purchase history / interests ensures emails catch attention among cluttered inboxes.
Personalized subject lines work hand-in-hand with scheduling emails for already high-traffic periods. Together, these tactics maximize the chance of driving opens and conversions from campaigns.
Mobile chatbot prompts when subscribers first access emails, websites, or apps via smartphones provide the opportunity to capture optimal scheduling preferences. Natural language questions like:
"When's the best time for you to receive our emails - mornings or afternoons?"
Allow capturing dynamic scheduling periods (e.g. Jessica likes 9 AM on Tuesdays). Using this data, email systems can then target preferred high open rate days/times for each contact.
Key Takeaways
- Weekday afternoons (1-5 PM) tend to see strong email open rates, especially Tuesdays and Thursdays
- Late mornings on weekdays (9-11 AM) are ideal for promotional SMS messages
- Batch send emails on Mondays and Tuesdays for higher open rates
- Personalized email subject lines boost open rates by 26%
- Mobile chatbots can offer “optimal time” email subscriptions to match subscriber behavior
Afternoons Are Ideal for Email Campaigns
Numerous studies into email open and click rates point to weekday afternoons as prime times for inbox campaigns. According to GetResponse's analysis of over 1 billion emails, open rates peak around lunchtime and remain higher than average until early evening:The best windows tend to be 1-5 PM in the afternoons from Tuesday to Thursday. Batch sending emails during these high-traffic periods leads to more opens and clicks.
HubSpot research spotted Tuesday afternoons at around 2 PM to have particularly high open rates across industries. Consider scheduling a regular “Tuesday Tips” email series for subscribers with personalized product recommendations, special deals, or company updates.
For example, the retailer Spring offers a “Last Minute Gifts” email series every Tuesday leading up to Christmas with same-day shipping items that taps into frantic shoppers.
Late Weekday Mornings Are Prime for SMS Promos
Unlike email, mobile SMS messaging sees quick responses through the day - especially during commuting hours. Studies by Mobilesquared and Statista found lunchtimes on weekdays to have peak engagement:9-11 AM tends to be the optimal scheduling for SMS campaigns with time-sensitive promotions, events, or offers. Messages sent in the late morning result in nearly double the conversions compared to weekday evenings.
Consider tying SMS promotions to events happening the same day rather than scheduling too far in advance. For example, a restaurant could text its subscribers at 10:30 AM about happy hour deals starting at 5 PM to drive visits.
Mondays & Tuesdays Are Strong Batch Email Days
Sending marketing emails in batch on low-traffic days leads to better deliverability and higher open rates throughout the week.Studies by SuperOffice indicate Mondays tend to be the lowest readership days. However, this makes them strategically useful for sending:
- Company newsletters with weekday event listings
- Batch promotional messages to be opened later in the week
- Personalized behavior-based offers based on site analytics
Having clear batch email days provides structure both internally and for setting subscriber expectations about when communications will arrive.
Personalized Subject Lines Boost Opens
No matter when you send emails, personalized and segmented subject lines lead to higher open rates. Studies by Experian show personalized subject lines have on average 26% higher unique open rates.Using merge tags to include the subscriber's name and messaging matched to their purchase history / interests ensures emails catch attention among cluttered inboxes.
Personalized subject lines work hand-in-hand with scheduling emails for already high-traffic periods. Together, these tactics maximize the chance of driving opens and conversions from campaigns.
Chatbots Can Offer "Optimal Times" Scheduling
As mobile becomes the dominate email access point, chatbots are emerging as intelligent ways to match subscriber behaviors for sends.Mobile chatbot prompts when subscribers first access emails, websites, or apps via smartphones provide the opportunity to capture optimal scheduling preferences. Natural language questions like:
"When's the best time for you to receive our emails - mornings or afternoons?"
Allow capturing dynamic scheduling periods (e.g. Jessica likes 9 AM on Tuesdays). Using this data, email systems can then target preferred high open rate days/times for each contact.
Summary
Now more than ever timing is everything when it comes to cutting through inbox noise. As best practices in 2024:- Batch send marketing emails on Monday mornings and Tuesday early afternoons
- Leverage late weekday mornings (9-11 AM) for SMS promos
- Personalize all subject lines using merge tags and behavioral messaging
- Consider chatbots to capture subscriber scheduling preferences
