Consumers want personalized e-mail from marketers

More than half of US and UK consumers said they would be more receptive to e-mails from marketers if they were personalized and highly-targeted. That is among the key findings of a new report issued from e-mail service provider e-Dialog, the e-mail division of GSI Commerce, an e-commerce company.

According to the report, entitled “Manifesto for E-mail Marketers: Consumers Demand Relevance,”  64% of consumers want marketers to know the types of products or services they like; 54% want marketers to know whether the consumer is a new or returning customer and 36% want marketers to know their shopping habits (e.g., online searching, in-store visits, and catalog purchases).

In addition, 85% of surveyed consumers want companies to ask about their e-mail preferences at registration.

“Because consumers have clearly indicated that they will reward marketers for personalized, preference-driven messages with their engagement, e-mail marketers need to capture information that allows them to get to know their subscribers better,” said Andrea Orvis, group director of strategic services for e-Dialog, in an e-mail. “They need to stop looking at e-mail as a tool for a quick sale and instead look at it as a way to build more profitable and enduring customer relationships.”

Approximately 2,000 consumers were polled in an online survey, which took place during the first quarter of 2010. Forrester Research conducted the survey on e-Dialog's behalf.