Is Email Marketing Still Effective in China?

When it comes to reaching out to customers, brands are grappling with the question if email marketing is still effective in China. In this post, learn more about marketers and brands’ challenges in engaging with audiences through this channel and why social media should be used instead.

Low Deliverability Rate Results in Low Open and Click-Through Rates

So, where does email marketing stand? One of the reasons why it’s not that popular as the western markets are the concern in deliverability rate. This is the percentage of emails that reach the recipient’s ISP or internet service providers’ servers. Unfortunately, when you don’t follow the email marketing campaigns’ rules, your emails will end up in the spam folder.

So, is email marketing worthy of your time to push your campaigns? As of this time, No. According to the 2018 Deloitte China Mobile Consumer Survey, Chinese consumers are less likely to check emails and prefer to use WeChat to send and receive messages.

Why You Should Use Social Media Instead of Emails

Emails are still useful in communication. But your campaigns will be much more effective if you WeChat and other social media channels. Here are the top three main reasons:

• WeChat has the largest number of users, and as of this writing, there are 1.2 billion monthly active users spread out in different age groups. It’s more than just a messaging app as it serves as a Swiss army knife to users where they can almost do anything and everything with it, like book a ticket, pay meals, settle bills, and receive direct messages from brands through ‘Subscriptions.’ That said, brands can send newsletter directly as long as they are verified with their official accounts.
• Weibo is China’s Twitter, and although WeChat took its sweet spot among consumers, many brands, KOLs, and marketers still use it to engage with the followers. Consumers’ choices of products and services are still influenced by reviews, insights, opinions, and conversations of several influencers and endorsers.
• Douyin is the king of short video apps, and more consumers are geared toward these types of content. Engagement through this channel is more personalized, and brands can maximize the host of features like eCommerce, live stream selling, and direct links to their shops.

All in all, it’s advisable to diversify the means of communication to your audience. Email marketing is dead in China, but while there’s still a small percentage of the population using emails, WeChat marketing and other social media channels are the best ways to send your campaigns.