Email marketing company Constant Contact has acquired Boston-based mobile applications provider CardStar, Gail Goodman, CEO of Constant Contact said Jan. 18.

Email deliverability firm Return Path acquired email technology company OtherInbox, the company said on Jan. 10. The acquisition closed in late December, said Return Path CEO Matt Blumberg, who declined to disclose terms.

An email appeal from The New York Times offering readers a special deal to not cancel their subscriptions was accidentally mass-emailed to about 8 million people on Dec. 28, rather than the 300 individuals for whom the message was intended.

More marketers plan to increase their spending on email marketing in 2012 than any other channel, according to a survey conducted by email service provider StrongMail, which will be officially released on Dec. 7. Of the 939 executives who participated in the survey, 60% said they expect to raise their email marketing budgets.

More than 20% of emails sent during the first six months of 2011 were opened on mobile devices, according to a study released by email service provider Knotice on Nov. 30.

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Almost every time I wind up on some company's email database, I get punished for it.