E-mails need more personalization: Responsys

E-mail personalization is on the rise, however, it is still falling short of its full potential, according to the findings of The State of Personalization, a study done by e-mail marketing service Responsys.

According to the survey of about 300 marketing executives conducted in October, marketers need to go beyond just personalizing e-mail with the recipient's name and geographic location. They need to include other relevant customer data.

According to the survey, 44 percent of marketers already personalize some aspect of e-mail campaigns and 89 percent said that they plan to increase their use of personalization in future efforts.

On the other hand, survey data revealed that almost 40 percent of marketers restrict their personalization efforts to the salutation.

Only 10 percent individualize all aspects of their e-mail campaigns, including salutation, images, timing and promotion.

The biggest challenge to more personalization is lack of time and resources, as cited by 64 percent of respondents. Limited information about customers and lack of integrated customer data are also some roadblocks to personalization.

Responsys is based in Redwood City, CA.