Responsively Designed Emails: More Important Now than Ever

“You never know how someone will read your email,” they say. Well, today, there is a better than good chance they are reading it on a mobile device. A study from Moveable Ink found that in Q1 2015, 67% of all U.S. email opens happened on a mobile device — and 75% of those were smartphones (to drill down further, about half of those were Apple devices).

What does that mean for marketers? It means that now, more than ever, responsively designed emails are a must so that they not only render correctly, but look amazing, function properly, and be effective (read: convert) on all mobile devices, all email clients, and all web browsers.

As anyone who has designed, coded, or tested responsive emails can attest to, that can be a challenge. However, there are some things that can make the process easier.

1 — Understand the difference between “responsive” and “mobile-friendly”

You’ve probably heard — and used — both terms interchangeably. But they are not the same thing.

A mobile-friendly email uses one design that looks and functions the same on both desktop and mobile devices. A single email design simply scales — gets smaller or larger or rearranges slightly — for different screen sizes.

Conversely, a responsively designed email employs specific HTML/CSS code, called media queries, that adjust the layout of the email message, font sizes, images, and buttons, and in some cases hide or swap content.

Based on where the message is being opened, PC, smartphone, or tablet, it responds accordingly — the code automatically adapts and optimizes to the specific screen size or viewing device. That means there are usually two email designs — one for mobile and one for desktop.

Mobile-friendly emails are easier to read than non-mobile friendly emails, but mobile responsive emails are the easiest to read of all on all devices.

2 — Be concise in your words and simple in your design

It should go without saying that email is not the place for verbose copy. This rule applies in particular to responsive emails. The real estate on mobile screens is even more restrictive, so be concise and make every word count.

Email design got pretty fancy there for a while. Images, sidebars, and complex layouts were all the rage for making your email stand out and look professional. Forget all that. Responsive email design is a return to the basics. Think clean lines, web-friendly fonts, minimal images, two-columns maximum, and clear calls to action. Remember, you want the recipient to open the email, easily read the email, and take the call to action. You are not here to win the “stuffing the most design elements into a single email” award.

3 — Understand the role of the email client (iPhone, Gmail, Outlook)

Responsively designed email not only responds to the type of device it is opened on but also to the email client you are using. According to Litmus, in June 2015, 40% of all emails were opened on an Apple iPhone or iPad, followed by 16% in Gmail, 9% in Outlook and 8% on Google Android.

Why is this important? Because each email client can take your HTML/CSS code and tinker with it a bit. Yes, it’s true. For example, if your email is opened on an Apple device, you are in luck because iOS actively supports HTML and CSS in email, which means your email, most likely, will render flawlessly. Well, unless you’re using the Gmail app.

While some Android apps support responsive email and others kind of support it, the Gmail app (for Android or iOS) does not support responsive design at all. Gmail takes your carefully coded HTML/CSS and throws it right out the window. Gmail also refuses to deal with media queries. This can throw a monkey wrench into your responsive design if you are not careful.

What’s up with Gmail? There are workarounds for its limitations, and it will revert email to a mobile-friendly version (see above), so just be sure your design accounts for that.

Email opens in Outlook, the former office email stalwart, have declined 35% in the 18 months preceding June 2015. This may be due to users moving to web-based email. It might also have to do with Outlook being notorious for failing to correctly render display responsively designed emails.

4 — Don’t forget the landing page!

You did it. You created a responsive email that rendered beautifully and functioned correctly on all devices, AND your recipients clicked the call-to-action button. Unfortunately, they landed on a page they can’t read, where images aren’t available, and with a form that is laid out so haphazardly they can’t even fill in the fields. So, they abandon ship.

What happened? You didn’t make your landing page responsive! Remember, conversion isn’t complete until they fill out the form. Therefore, your mobile users should move seamlessly from responsive email to responsive landing page. Sending potential customers to a wonky landing page is a quick way to sabotage your efforts.

That seems like a complicated and expensive process. Is it worth it? EDM Designer found that a responsive email outperformed its HTML counterpart by 11.8% in conversions.

It can be a lot of work, and it requires specialized skills — a designer and HTML coder skilled in responsive design, and a QA team capable of testing on all devices, email clients, and web browsers. The time and resources involved can quickly add up, which is why responsive emails can cost so much to create and build.

Why BrandBlox

But there is an easier way. BrandBlox requires no design or coding skills. You can create responsively designed, brand-compliant emails right from your desk. That’s right YOU can. Anyone can. BrandBlox provides you with a suite of “drag and drop” email templates that are optimized according to best practices to work on all devices, email clients, and web browsers. You just add the copy and images.

It’s that simple. We’ve clocked email creation from start to finish at 3 minutes or less.

Too good to be true? See for yourself.