The flame emoji stands out as the most frequently used symbol in emails sent by Russian companies, according to the press service of the email platform Unisender. After evaluating more than 3 billion messages, Unisender reported that this emoji appeared in about 10.2% of the communications examined.
Following closely, the lightning bolt emoji ranked second, showing up in 4.5% of messages. The third spot belonged to the gift icon, present in 3.4% of emails. Rounding out the top five were the spark shape (3.1%) and a face with hearts for eyes (2.3%). A green check mark appeared in 2.2% of messages, while a red exclamation point showed up in 1.9%, a hand pointing to the right in 1.6%, and the “Perfect” hand thumbs-up emoji in 1.4% of emails. The remaining 69.4% of emojis were spread across the rest of the set.
Unisender noted that regional preferences influence the emoji mix. In Moscow, for instance, the emblem sign of excellence did not crack the top lineup, while in St. Petersburg users favored emojis like a globe, a megaphone, and a book that were less common elsewhere. In Samara, a downward-pointing hand topped the charts behind the leading icons, and a smiling face paired with a lightning bolt, a red button, and a scared expression occupied the next three positions.
Emoji selections also shift with industry focus. For example, the black heart appears more frequently in correspondence from e-commerce firms, while education-related messages commonly feature a square academic cap. Travel communications trend toward palm trees, sports messages showcase a football and a running figure, and marketing campaigns frequently include an emoji resembling a money bag. This pattern suggests that companies tailor emoji usage to align with their sector and audience.
A broader takeaway is that emoji usage in business emails reflects both regional culture and sector-specific messaging strategies. While the leading symbols convey quick sentiment or emphasis, the diversity of icons across cities and industries highlights how brands attempt to match tone with context, audience expectations, and the nature of the message. In related digital communication trends, notices from other platforms, such as messaging apps, show similar shifts when new features emerge and user preferences evolve.