New research from Intuit Mailchimp’s suggests a clear trend in Australia – while consumers are actively managing their inboxes, email is still the country’s preferred way to hear from brands.
The national study of over 1,000 Australians found that many are striving for a clean inbox. A third of consumers (33%) aim for “inbox zero,” and over a quarter (26%) keep fewer than 10 emails at any given time.
However, this increased curation doesn’t mean disinterest. On the contrary, according to the research 76% of Australians prefer email for time-sensitive offers, and a majority (59%) actually want to receive more promotional and discount-related content.
Relevance, personalisation, and value are key
The findings confirm that email continues to be crucial for brand connection, but the game has changed. For marketers, the core message is that relevance, personalisation, and genuine value are essential to securing and maintaining a spot in a consumer’s increasingly curated inbox.
“Consumers are telling us loud and clear that they’re not switching off—they’re tuning in with purpose,” said Anthony Capano, Regional Director, APAC at Intuit Mailchimp. “Australians are making thoughtful choices about where they focus their attention, which means the bar for brand communications is higher than ever. To earn a spot in that space, marketers need to go beyond the basics and show up with relevance. That means delivering personalised messages that add value, respect people’s time, and strengthen the relationship with every send.”
The research offers a vital reminder: interest in brand communications hasn’t waned; Australians are simply getting smarter and more selective about what they consume.
Common pitfalls and best practice
“When it comes to email marketing, we see a lot of success among brands that prioritise relevance and timely delivery in their strategies. The most effective brands understand that email should be a conversation, not just a megaphone”, says Capano.
“A key mistake we observe is when brands treat the inbox like a broadcast channel instead of a respectful two-way street. Australians aren’t necessarily tuning out email, but they have become very skilled at curating their inboxes, and they simply won’t tolerate content that is irrelevant, repetitive, or impersonal. When email is generic or purely transactional, it fails to connect”.
Capano asserts that brands doing it right are earning their spot in the inbox. They are focused on driving relevance so that users actually look forward to receiving their emails. This strong focus on relevance is the cornerstone of a successful marketing automation strategy.
Storytelling
Storytelling is of paramount importance in email marketing because it transforms a generic, transactional message into an engaging, memorable, and human conversation. In a crowded inbox, a compelling narrative is a brand’s most powerful tool for cutting through the noise and building lasting relationships.
Capano explains, “Retailers and e-commerce brands, in particular, hold unique and valuable data sets, which gives them a huge advantage in driving relevancy and timing. Using this data to power the right automations and customer journeys is critical. Ultimately, brands that use the email channel to communicate relevant content are driving customer loyalty, and that principle holds true across all industries”.
“The brands that succeed are those that approach their audiences with respect and see email as a powerful channel for engagement and storytelling. We often see SMS used as a complement to this email story”.
Research Highlights:
- Email is the overwhelming favourite: For time-sensitive offers, email is preferred by a massive 76% of consumers. SMS follows distantly at 40%, with social media (8.5%) and phone or post (6.7%) trailing far behind.
- Promotions lead the Way: Consumers have a strong appetite for actionable, relevant content. Promotions and sales are the most sought-after content (59%). This is followed by product news/inventory updates (36%), transactional/account management emails (35%), educational content (32%), and brand storytelling (23%).
- Younger Consumers Seek Diversity: While promotions and sales are popular across the board, shoppers aged 18-34 years old show a stronger interest in a wider variety of content. They are more receptive to promotional emails (66%) and are significantly more interested in educational content (38%) and storytelling (31%) than the overall average.
The brands that succeed will be the ones that respect the inbox by consistently sending useful, relevant content.