According to new research commissioned for Response One, an independent data solution provider, consumers were more likely to visit a website and deliberate over purchasing (52% above the average) if they received an email from a retailer they had previously bought from. The more traditional forms of enticing the consumer - TV/newspaper advertising and targeted direct mail lagged behind with 34% and 16% above the average respectively. The other means of marketing, such as via sponsored search engine links and adverts featured on bills and statements were also methods for encouraging traffic and thereby potentially boosting revenue to websites - although statistically, less likely than the other 3 means.
Bearing this research data in mind, all marketers should be ensuring email deliverability is a top priority. Adestra, an email marketing service provider estimates that marketing via email generated over £5 billion in online sales in 2007 - but the converse is that UK businesses are missing out on further revenue. The E-consultancy/Adestra Email Marketing Industry Census 2008 estimated that 11% of email budget is lost due to email delivery issues - that equates to over £550 million in lost business.
Even more compelling, is the growth predicted by a study by YouGov and the Centre for Economics and Business Research commissioned by uSwitch - UK online shopping could account for 40% of retail sales by 2020.
Although the census has seen a growth in the focus on email marketing (24% of email marketers were happy they were using the media effectively compared to 13% in 2007), the delivery issues were still not a priority for many:
"Too many organisations are still failing to carry out essential email practices such as list cleansing and basic segmentation of their email databases. The issue of deliverability continues to be a stumbling block for many companies. Research shows that more than half of organisations surveyed have experienced problems reaching the inbox, and yet only 40% say that deliverability is a priority area." Linus Gregoriadis, Head of Research at E-consultancy.
A recent article in Catalogue e-business pinpoints 4 key areas that an email campaign must address in order to be as effective as possible:
| 1. | Consolidate data - very little can be deduced about a consumer just by their email address. A specific postal address is much more enlightening since people often have different email addresses for different purposes. Generate a single customer view (SCV) to record consumer behaviour by individual - enabling targeted email campaigns. |
| 2. | Personalise email content - not just the text contained in the message, but also the images used. A Digital Asset Management system would enable you to create attention-grabbing emails directly relevant to your shopper. |
| 3. | Event triggered marketing - target offers at specific times rather than send out batches of emails at regular intervals. For example, follow up a specific transaction with an email, contact the customer asking if they need support or even offer a voucher to redeem as a birthday treat. Event triggered marketing has been shown to uplift a buying response by as much as 35%. |
| 4. | Mode of communication - make sure the mode is the right one - if you send your customer an email they didn't ask for you are likely to ostracize them and risk customer loyalty. Collecting valid and current Single Customer View data is of paramount importance. |
Richard Higginbottom, Head of Marketing at CDMS:
"Email is not only accessible to the public but, due to the ready availability of expertise and technology, can also be integrated relatively easily. The key to successful and sustainable personalisation through email, therefore, is recognising relationship and behaviour, and using this knowledge to deliver highly relevant messages on an individual basis via the channel of the individual's choice."
To find out more about effective email campaigns visit our website http://www.mso.net/Email-Marketing.
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