When is the best time to send an email newletter?

I've worked for three online publishers during the past eight years and at each of them the debate over when is the best time to send email newsletters to members has been a continual one. I like think we've got it right at BusinessZone.co.uk although maybe you could tell me different!

Interesting new research was released this week by email marketing provider Pure360 on this very subject. Based on the analysis of 660,000 emails sent by 34 companies, the report came up with a guide to when to send e-marketing for different types of audiences and content. The results are below. What do you think?

The Abyss (10pm to 9am)
This is an ineffective time to send email promotions – it’s like throwing them into a black hole.

Consumer AM (9am to 10am)
The second most prevalent opening time is at the beginning of the working day, with consumers allowing themselves to be distracted by offers on clothes, live events, restaurants and consumer goods.

Do Not Disturb (10am to Noon)
Consumers are not opening marketing emails, choosing instead to focus on work.

The Lunchtime News (Noon to 2pm)
Counter-intuitively, consumers are also unlikely to open marketing emails during their lunch, choosing Instead to spend time on news and magazine alerts.

In The Zone (2pm to 3pm)
In the immediate post-lunch period consumers remain focussed on work, responding only to email offers relating to financial services.

A Life-changing Afternoon (3pm to 5pm)
Job-related apathy sets in and consumers start thinking about their personal situation. As a result, more emails relating to property and financial services are opened between 3pm and 5pm than any other type of promotion.

‘Working Late’ (5pm to 7pm)
There is a dramatic rise in recipients opening holiday promotions during the period (17.9% of all emails promoting holiday promotions were opened in these two hours). Counter-intuitively, this is also the timeframe within which recipients are most likely to open B2B promotions (26.4%).

Last Orders (7pm to 10pm)
Recipients are more likely to respond to consumer promotions in their own time, with 23% being opened in this period. Offers on clothes, special interests such as sports and gym promotions (26% opened during this time) performed extremely well in this period.