“Email is dead.” Some digital advocates have been bellowing this claim for far too long despite email’s continued success rates. In fact, recent data from IBM company Silverpop suggests that the channel isn’t extinct; it’s simply evolving. And personalization has had a big bang effect on the way marketers leverage the channel to build customer relationships.
Consumers are picky when it comes letting brands into their herds. The average consumer regularly opens emails from about four or five brands, according to Silverpop’s “Best Friend Brands study”—a survey of nearly 4,000 German, U.K., and U.S. consumers. To ensure that their emails don’t fossilize once they hit the inbox, marketers must make their communications more one-to-one. According to the study, 58% of consumers won’t open emails if they seem unrelated to their needs, and 40% won’t open emails if the subject lines seem irrelevant. However, 71% of consumers surveyed would be more likely to purchase from a brand if their emails were tailored to their likes and preferences. In fact, 17% of consumers purchase directly from a brand email once a month.
Trust is also a major factor in whether consumers open brands’ emails. According to the study, 64% of consumers would open emails because they trust the company that sent them. But beware: Marketers who use the wrong sending frequency will see customers slip right through their claws. About a third of respondents (34%) would leave brand emails unopened if they received too much correspondence, and 25% of consumers stopped buying from brands because of their email approach.
Granted, not every consumer is an email-vore. In fact, 14% of respondents don’t consider emails from their favorite brands as important forms of communication. Twenty-one percent of consumers prefer to receive offers and promotions via other channels; according to the study. Some would also rather receive their news product information (13%) and account information (12%) through other vehicles. Yet, 67% of respondents say there aren’t any forms of content that they would prefer to receive via other channels—proving that email leave its footprint on the marketing landscape for years to come.
We know you love infographics. Check out some more Direct Marketing News originals.
