E-Mail Volume Set to Level With Direct Mail in Britain: DMA

E-mail acquisition click-through rates have risen from 6 to 8 percent in the first quarter of 2006, according to the Direct Marketing Association UK Ltd.'s E-Mail Marketing Council's National E-Mail Benchmarking Survey.

The survey, which was released Oct. 5 by the London-based DM lobby, also reinforces predictions that e-mail is set to level with direct mail in terms of volume.

Overall, the first quarter of 2006 has shown a 30 percent year-over-year increase in average mailing volumes, and volumes in the first quarter of 2006 have risen by 13 percent over the last quarter of 2005.

Despite increasing volumes, however, response rates such as click-though rates are remaining static and retention figures still stand at approximately 10 percent.

The survey also offers some insight into the structure of the e-mail service provider vendor marketplace, the DMA UK said.

The majority of suppliers (53 percent) are used purely as a third-party dispatch partner.

However, the report also points to e-mail service providers operating as list owners and media buyers. Media or data ownership and acting as a media planner and buyer both account for 24 percent.

In terms of clients selecting ESPs, price and customer service and support were regarded as the key criteria.

For the first time, the survey also gained initial feedback on payment to guarantee delivery. Over 65 percent of ESPs believe that clients would consider some form of payment to guarantee delivery.

The survey also indicates that deliverability is only a real problem for a handful of customers with three quarters of them demonstrating a delivery rate of over 91 percent for retention programs.