What is the life span of an email address?

Posted by Matt V - @emailkarma | Jul 28, 2008 | 2

I’m looking for some information on the average life span of a consumer email address. Reports from Fresh address’ ECOA program show that the average email list churns about 30% a year.

My reports tend to agree with this too (~2-4% a month), but this still doesn’t answer the question “How long does the average consumer use the same email address for before switching and moving to a new account?” 1 yr, 2, yrs, 5?

Anyone have insight into this?

About The Author

Matt V - @emailkarma

Matthew Vernhout is a digital messaging industry veteran and Certified International Privacy Professional (Canada) (CIPP/C) with nearly two decades of experience in email marketing. Matthew is a trusted industry expert, recognized as the 2019 EEC thought-leader of the year, and speaks frequently at email marketing and technology conferences around the globe.

2 Comments

DJ Waldow on July 28, 2008 at 23:36

This may be a bit off topic, but I’m more interested in step #5 in the FA process:

We send out a branded “Permission Message” to the updated email addresses to ensure deliverability and permission; our “Permission Message” includes our exclusive Email Change of Address link, ensuring the capture of your customers’ current preferred email address.

Love to learn more about their “permission message.” What does that mean? Opt-in? Opt-out?

dj at bronto

*Yeah…not sure about the life span of an email address. Sorry!
Anonymous on July 30, 2008 at 10:51

I cannot remember the exact document/report this was in, but I found this:

“Approximately a third of the online US population creates a new email address each year” – JupiterResearch, July 08’