Results of the study suggest consumers suffer from "sales fatigue," given that only 37% of participants are "excited" by the prospect of the January sales. The same proportion put off major purchases until this key sales period. The research also found that only 6% use discount codes.

A phishing attack of unprecedented sophistication against Gmail users is fooling computer experts. Security researchers said the scam had proliferated in the past few weeks and it was unclear whether a team of criminals was behind it or the attack used advanced automated software. The technique is similar to that used by Kremlin-backed hackers to fool Hillary Clinton's campaign manager.

Segmenting your audience can be extremely effective and can help you to really understand who your buyers are. Not all of the people who sign up for your emails are the same. Some might have signed up to find out what type of events you are having, or to get updates on your blog. Some might just be there for a type of coupon.

Roughly 50% of respondents claimed that email was their preferred mode of receiving marketing material, according to a 2016 Adobe survey. Yet more than one-third (37%) don't open any emails from retailers, according to the Retail TouchPoints survey. Through effective personalised emails, brands can potentially increase conversion rates and reach their full email marketing potential.

Doesn't it feel good when people know you are a company and not just another individual? There's a feeling of pride that comes up when you send an email from a business you own or have power within. It's easy, and people can anticipate the content of your email. But people don't connect with company names -- they connect with people.

According to this year's results, email marketing remains in robust health. According to the Customer Acquisition Barometer 2015, the vast majority (84%) of marketers use email. Email was rated as the best-performing channel by the highest proportion of marketers (41%).

"There's something about the arrival of 2017 that makes the implementation of GDPR in May 2018 seem so much closer. The ICO remains committed to helping organisations to improve their practices and prepare for the GDPR. Today we've published an update setting out what guidance organisations can expect."

UK Information Commissioner spoke in London last night about how GDPR "provides more protections for consumers, and more privacy considerations organisations. It brings a more 21st century approach to the processing of personal data And it puts an onus on businesses to change their entire ethos to data protection... make no mistake, this one's a game changer for everyone."

The DMA will soon meet with the Secretary of State for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, Karen Bradley MP, to discuss the UK's exit from the EU. The DMA's priority in these discussion will including preserving the free movement of data after the UK leaves the EU. This means the UK considered adequate by the EU and striking its own adequacy deals with other nations.

The DMA is extremely concerned that the ePrivacy Regulation, although an improvement on the leaked copy, will severely restrict the use of third-party data and hold back technological developments in the digital economy. The new ePrivacy Regulation will replace the current ePrivacy Directive, which informed the UK's own Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).