According to the 2008 study of consumer attitudes towards email and online interaction with businesses, completed in May 2008 by research firm Ipsos for Habeas, Inc., 67% of consumers prefer email as a primary method of communications in their personal and business capacities, and 65% will continue to prefer email in the future despite the rise of online threats and the emergence of other communication channels and Web 2.0 applications.
The report also revealed an interest from consumers in gaining more control over their online interactions with businesses and an increasing level of concern over spam and virus threats reaching consumers through their mobile devices.
Des Cahill, CEO, Habeas, said "... consumers are becoming even more dependent on email for their relationships with each other... this... study illustrates the relevance and longevity email has within the online ecosystem... "
Highlights from the study include:
Communication Preferred by Adult Internet Users When Dealing With BusinessesApril 2008 | |
Type of Communication | % of Respondents |
67% | |
Web site | 34 |
Postal mail | 35 |
Fixed-line voice | 29 |
Mobile voice | 12 |
Fax | 13 |
Text/SMS | 2 |
IM | 5 |
Web meetings | 2 |
Video conferencing | 1.3 |
Source: Ipsos/Habeas, May 2008 |
This year's report found that nearly 60 percent of users employ two or more personal email addresses, giving a different address to entities they do not trust while maintaining separate accounts for trustworthy sources.
Cahill concluded that "Far from being eclipsed by Web 2.0 and other emerging communications methods, consumer expectations suggest that email will be the workhorse channel around which future online communications will revolve... "
Editor's Note: Supporting and expanding on the intense interest in B2C communications methods, Accenture's Global Content Study 2008, "The Challenge of Change: Perspectives on the Future for Content Providers" provides a thorough analysis Whitepaper in PDF format that addresses in detail the consumer shift in entertainment and media consumption habits.
The Global Content Study may be accessed here. For more about the Habeas study, please visit here.