Emotions play a major factor in most decisions we make, from what wine to have with dinner to the model of fridge-freezer that we keep the food in. From the point of view of someone involved in email marketing, logic has very little impact. After all we go by our data and what's good for emotions would be good for logic as well; we are after their responses rather than their reasons behind their decisions.

Although there is little in the way of research to support it, many think that the variation in open rates between days of the week is down to how the subscriber feels. Monday mentality probably differs to that of Thursday’s. It's not consistent across the board of course. There are those who feel excited by the week ahead and others who are challenged by the workload. That's what makes our email marketing lists data so valuable.

According to reports, some people are finding lockdown a bit of a strain, yet there are others who seem enthused by it, suggesting that they are getting through more work and quicker than in an office environment. This has significant implications for us. If a specific subscriber is no longer glum after the Monday morning commute and instead gets a boost from a quick walk around their town, then the likelihood of them opening a marketing email is significantly changed.

Also, lockdown is changing weekly, and not universally across the country. Being no longer restricted to one exercise period outdoors a day has made many more positive and it is likely that emotional responses have been modified.

There will be significant changes over the coming weeks which will make our data less accurate in predicting behaviour. It’s what anyone involved in email marketing dreads. The good news is that it goes for your competitors as well so those who respond well to the challenge of predicting emotional responses are going to have an advantage. Don’t get concerned if, for instance, your open rate drops. Just complete some split tests and be aware that the returns might be temporary.