This piece from from Mobile Marketer: Why email marketers must mobile-optimize their messages covers some best practices for email marketing.  Given the growth of email on mobile, this is critical to consider.  It makes some good recommendations (e.g. mobile web) and speaks to the likely changes to come in user habits around email.  All good stuff.

I would have gone a bit further, as I typically get passionate about things that seem obvious to me (apologies to M.D. for using the word passionate).

Here’s where I’m going:  If a large and growing percentage of emails are opened on a mobile device, the email marketers (every e-commerce player) have a problem with their outbound emails as noted in the article.  Check.

Some of the problems:  1) Often, they are not formatted for device 2) the links are to a www site that is slow, not technically optimized nor content-optimized for mobile use case 3) and MOST IMPORTANTLY –  these users can’t act upon impulse to easily BUY anything from the merchant.

There is a stat in the article that deals with how many people will interact with the email a second time from their desktops.  Even if I did believe that some significant portion of the audience will respond later via desktop to an offer they viewed on mobile, why would you force them to?  Instead, I recommend providing an opportunity to buy right then and there from the mobile device.

This seems like an obvious opportunity to me.

• Optimize your email program by learning the habits of your audience – or ask them.
• Send mobile friendly emails
• Create  offers to mobile users that are time sensitive and compelling enough to act upon at the moment of impulse
• Make it easy for them to click and buy right from their mobile device.  I know of a great mobile web based credit card billing solution:  Billing Revolution.

Is this really so far out there?  Comments, Please!