We hate to break it to you, but your customers aren’t sitting at desktops, poised to thoughtfully read your email and make a purchase. Maybe 15 years ago… but not today. These days, they’re browsing on smartphones while queueing for coffee, scrolling inboxes mid-gym session, or confirming bookings on the way to their next appointment. In fact, 75% of people say they use their smartphones most often to check email.
For airports, this isn’t just a user habit — it’s a clear signal that your email strategy must be mobile-first.
But mobile-first email design isn’t simply about making messages “fit” a smaller screen. It’s about creating intuitive, engaging experiences that drive real results. Done right, mobile-friendly emails boost open rates, increase click-throughs and skyrocket conversions.
In this article, we’ll show you five fast fixes to improve your mobile email experience, common mistakes to avoid, and how Rezcomm makes it easy for airport marketers to nail it every time.
Outdated email design costs conversions
Let’s cut to the chase: if your emails aren’t mobile-optimised, they’ll end up in the recycle bin.
42% of users delete emails that aren’t optimised for mobile. That’s nearly half your audience, and a chunk of your marketing budget gone without making any impact whatsoever.
Even if your airport marketing content is stellar, poor formatting, tiny fonts, or buttons too small to tap mean users can’t perform the desired action. It doesn’t take long for customers to become frustrated and disengaged. And it’s not just a poor user experience your unoptimised email creates — it’s a barrier to revenue.
Why mobile email is a revenue-driver for airports
Mobile devices aren’t just where people browse for inspiration. Today, they’re where decisions happen and bookings are made. According to Statista, 68% of all online traffic to travel and hospitality websites now comes from mobile. And with email playing a crucial role in researching, comparing, and confirming travel, mobile-friendly design isn’t just a best practice — it’s a competitive advantage.
For airports, mobile-first emails unlock a wide range of high-impact opportunities, including:
- Promoting pre-order retail and F&B with smart, personalised, tappable offers
- Delivering tailored lounge or Fast Track upgrade invitations
- Sending booking and appointment reminders with dynamic countdowns
- Serving exclusive digital vouchers and loyalty rewards
- Upselling services based on real-time passenger location or in-terminal behaviour
But beyond individual campaigns, mobile email powers something much more valuable: ongoing connection.
It enables continuous two-way communication between the airport and the passenger — key moments to build trust, nurture relationships, and stay present at every step of the journey. Each send becomes an opportunity to collect insight, personalise future content, and strengthen loyalty. Over time, this creates a constant flow of engagement, data, and revenue, all delivered through a device that’s always within the customer’s reach.
5 fast fixes for mobile email success
Hook customers with short subject lines
Airport marketers know that a strong hook should do one of the following:
- Evoke emotion
- Create scarcity
- Make a personal connection
- Inspire urgency
- Pique curiosity
And while getting the words just right is key to encouraging people to open your email, on mobile, less is more. We suggest aiming for a maximum of 35 characters to avoid your subject line being cut off. Every word must earn its place.
Prioritise your content with layout and structure
Think of your airport marketing emails as a well-packed suitcase. Prioritise the essentials and leave out the clutter.
Include:
- A strong headline/hook
- Subheading
- Visual (graphic, GIF, interactive element)
- Copy
- Clear CTA
Keep paragraphs short, with a simple layout that makes your content easy to scan on mobile. Using whitespace will improve your content’s readability, particularly on smaller screens.
Use responsive, single-column email design
Forget complicated layouts. Single-column email designs load faster, are easier to scroll, and naturally suit the vertical orientation of mobile screens.
With Rezcomm’s drag-and-drop email builder, creating fully responsive emails doesn’t require a web developer or any design skills. Drag and drop your content into a flexible, pre-made template. Customise, preview, and send!
Make CTAs visible and tappable
Your CTA (call to action) is the action you want the customer to take. Your copy should logically guide readers towards the CTA, and crucially, there should only be one. Include multiple CTAs and your customers won’t know what to do next.
Make sure your CTA is instantly visible. We recommend using a button, rather than a text link. It should be at least 44×44 pixels, visually distinctive (use colour), and placed in a logical position.
Reduce friction: optimise images and landing pages
Slow-loading visual elements? Say goodbye to any chance of your customers converting. According to Google, 53% of visits are abandoned if a mobile site takes longer than 3 seconds to load. So, if your email is packed full of beautiful, high-resolution travel images, they might never be seen.
Compress your image files to speed things up. It’s always worth testing and previewing your emails to check for image quality and load times. And ensure your landing pages are just as mobile-optimised as your emails. The journey from email to landing page should be seamless for the customer.
Avoid these mobile email pitfalls
Even the best content can be let down by bad formatting. Research shows that if an email displays poorly on mobile, 70% of users will delete it within three seconds, and 15% will unsubscribe.
Steer clear of:
- Overcomplicated designs – Your customers don’t want complex headers or visual clutter. Avoid multi-column chaos. Keep your mobile emails clean and minimalist.
- Tiny text – For mobile emails, aim for a font size of 14–16 pixels for body copy and 18–20 pixels for headlines. If your text is hard to read, your message won’t land.
- Neglecting accessibility – Not everyone views mobile emails in the same way. Visually impaired users may rely on a screen reader. If the images in your mobile emails don’t have descriptive alt tags, key content could be missed entirely.
- Email clipping – Gmail (in particular) often clips longer emails on mobile and prompts users to tap a link to read more. Most won’t. They’ll just delete the email instead. Keep your content concise and always preview and test before sending.
Rezcomm’s solution: Airport email marketing made simple
Designing mobile-friendly, high-impact emails shouldn’t require a web developer or hours of your time. With Rezcomm’s Marketing module, airport marketers have all the tools at their fingertips to create beautiful, mobile-first emails that engage passengers and drive revenue.
The intuitive drag-and-drop email builder means you can create polished, on-brand campaigns in minutes, with no need for coding or design experience. Choose from a library of pre-built, flexible templates or create your own, ensuring a seamless experience across all devices.
It’s fast. It’s simple. And it works.
Consistency and speed aren’t the only benefits. Built-in tools for A/B testing, tracked links, and centralised tag management, ensure your campaigns are always optimised and fully compliant. Plus, the real-time mobile preview lets you see exactly how your emails will display before hitting send, so you’re always in control.
And when it comes to personalisation, Rezcomm takes things well beyond [First Name]. With full CRM integration and access to booking data, you can segment your audience and deliver targeted, dynamic content that feels truly relevant. From tailored lounge offers to product suggestions based on purchase history, every email becomes a smarter marketing touchpoint.
71% of consumers expect personalised experiences, and 76% get frustrated when they don’t receive them. But many businesses hold back, thinking they lack the technical skills or inspiration to personalise.
With Rezcomm, it’s simple.
Plug in our Marketing modules to spend less time wrangling tech and more time delivering results.
Start your mobile-first marketing with Rezcomm
Airports can’t afford guesswork. With Rezcomm, you get mobile-first email campaigns that deliver clarity, creativity, and measurable ROI.
We’ve helped airports around the world transform how they engage passengers. Now it’s your turn.
Talk to our team of airport marketing experts and discover how easy it is to upgrade your email strategy today.
Orchestrating digital strategy, Victoria Wallace is Rezcomm’s Chief Digital Officer. With specialisations ranging from digital marketing and CRM to UX design and ecommerce, she is an expert in integrating innovation and technology to deliver outstanding results in sectors like travel, parking, and airports.
