Forrester’s recent report, The State of Retailing Online 2013, has some interesting findings when it comes to email. The report states that email will continue to be one of the top two areas of greatest focus for retailers. To that end, Forrester says retailers are investing in email more than ever. The reason is the shift in how consumers access marketing emails – specifically via mobile.

According to Forrester, mobile traffic has doubled since 2012. Email is ranked as the top source of mobile traffic for retailers. In fact, retailers reported that 28% of their email opens happen on phones and 16% on tablets.

As a result, 49% of retailers are now optimizing campaigns by device. Another 38% say they’ll do so before the end of this year. Forrester says more retailers are focusing on email optimization than any other initiatives. With the move to mobile finally gaining momentum, email service providers must respond by offering Responsive Design templates and preview features that enable marketers to test messages across browsers and device types.

Getting retail email ready for mobile is only part of the story. Forrester cites a growth in analyst positions among retailers as “big data” becomes a priority. The report explains that with so many new channels, devices, and touch-points, the same old analytics dashboards are obsolete. Marketers need analytics tools that measure key metrics on desktops and a wide range of mobile devices.

The numbers are clear. Email is more important than ever to retailers as consumers embrace mobile for receiving offers and making purchases. Retailers are moving in the right direction with optimization efforts, but to really take advantage of the opportunity, they need robust mobile strategies.