New research from mobile engagement firm Leanplum confirms the effectiveness of emoji usage in push notifications and emails. The data verifies that emojis are significantly more likely to influence mobile engagement and aid retention.
“We used Leanplum to test the effectiveness of emojis in push notification campaigns,” said Joanna Hill, head of digital at women’s fashion brand Miss Selfridge, in a news release. “In one of our tests, we saw an 81 percent lift in open rates and a 363 percent lift in revenue from the message with emojis.”
The report, Unlocking Engagement & Growth with Emojis, a follow-up to the popular study released last year, confirms that emoji popularity and engagement continues to rise. For this year’s report, the firm analyzed 300 million emails and push notifications between June 1, 2017 to June 1, 2018, including worldwide data.
Some of the findings:
- Emoji usage continues to rise: The average number of emojis used per message andthe percentage of messages including at least one emoji both doubled in the past year.
- Emails with emojis are opened 66 percent more than emails without emojis.
- Push notifications with emojis are opened an astounding 254 percent more than push notifications without emojis. That’s 3x higher compared to last year’s report.
- Apps that use emojis experience 26 percent fewer uninstalls. In addition to in-the-moment engagement, emojis contribute to long-lasting user retention.
“As Leanplum’s latest study reveals, emojis continue to be an impactful marketing tool for driving mobile growth—emoji usage in mobile messages doubled this year, and user engagement tripled as a response to these delightful campaigns,” said Joyce Solano, SVP of Global Marketing at Leanplum, in the release. “Emojis convey emotion and personality from brands, which help marketers deliver in-the-moment engagement and build long-lasting user retention.”
