By:
Sean Michael Kerner
According to DoubleClick's 2004 Consumer e-mail study,
81 percent of consumers send and receive e-mail multiple
times daily. The number of what the study terms "constant
e-mailers" jumped from 20 percent in 2003 to 33 percent
this year. All that activity translates into a 16 percent
increase over last year in the number of e-mails the
average consumer receives; 308 e-messages per week.
Increased activity also means more spam for users to
contend with. Spam makes up the majority of e-mail volume
(62 percent), up 6 percentage points from last year.
The line between a consumer considering a message to
be spam and something more legitimate extends across
a range of situations. E-mail was considered spam when
it came from an unknown sender (93 percent), but also
from known companies where permission was given, but
e-mail comes too frequently (58 percent). Brand value
is also a factor. The survey notes the 'from' line is
again the leading reason (64 percent in 2004, 63 percent
in 2003) why a consumer may or may not open a permission
based e-mail (PBE). Real PBE only represents 8 percent
of e-mail, and 67 percent of consumers indicate they
open at least 60 percent of such messages.
What most compels you to open a permission-based email?
(Year; From Line; Subject Line)
2002 60% 35%
2003 63% 32%
2004 64% 33%
Source: DoubleClick 2004 Consumer Email Study
PBEs can and do work to help companies make sales. A
third (32 percent)of respondents indicate they have
made an immediate online purchase as the result of receiving
an e-mail. Consumers who said they have clicked on messages
for information and later made an online purchase as
a result tallied at 30 percent. E-mail also helps drive
offline sales; 12 percent indicate they clicked on a
message for information, then made the purchase offline.
Delivering coupons via e-mail also helps drive consumers
to purchase offline (59 percent), while 73 percent redeemed
online coupons for online purchases.
Which of the following would you find usefull if included
in the communications you received?
Special offers for related products from the same vendor
25%
Information about membership rewards programs 47%
Sweepstakes or drawing entries 41%
Special offers for the same product you purchased 41%
Special offers for related products from partners companies
26%
None of the above 20%
Source: DoubleClick 2004 Consumer Email Study
Consumers expect e-mail to confirm transactions (95
percent) and shipping (90 percent). Promoting ancillary
offers via e-mail is a reasonable proposition. Fifty-two
percent note they'd be interested in offers for related
products, and 47 percent express interest in receiving
information about membership reward programs.
"For marketers, what I think is most significant, is
consumer's embrace of e-mail as a service and support
vehicle, and their openness to marketing messages within
these service, support and transactional e-mails" said
Eric Kirby, VP and General Manager of DoubleClick's
Strategic Consulting Services in a statement.
Source of Article: ClickZ
Date of Article: October 20, 2004 |
