As more online businesses rely on email to maintain communications with their customers, a new survey suggests that companies' efforts are being seriously undermined by frequent consumer email address
changes.
A nationwide study of consumer email habits and practices, conducted by NFO WorldGroup and commissioned by Return Path Inc., revealed that less than one-third of the consumers surveyed
notify regularly visited websites, online newsletters, and discussion lists of their email address changes.
The study found that 41% of consumers have changed an email address at least once in the
last two years, with 15% of that group changing email addresses two or more times in the last two years. Consumers reported that the leading cause of email address changes were ISP switches, although
many cited job changes or school graduations, and privacy concerns as other reasons for making a change.
Of consumers who had never changed an email address, many had never done so because of
difficulties associated with making an email address change: 36% said they were deterred from changing an email address because they felt there were "too many people to update;" 17% thought the
process would be "too time consuming;" 10% cited "too many businesses to update;" and an additional 6% cited "don't know how to change my email address."
For the group of consumers who had changed
an email address, the process they used to update businesses with their new address was cumbersome and incomplete. Only 37% of consumers notified any "regularly visited websites" of a changed email
address; 31% notified "businesses that regularly send them email;" 24% notified "websites where they make regular purchases;" and 16% notified discussion lists/groups. When consumers did notify
businesses of a new address, 46% notified businesses by sending them an email, and 40% did so by visiting individual companies' websites.
The survey revealed that 74% of consumers now own two or
more email addresses, with an average of 2.6 per consumer. Consumers who own multiple email addresses tend to have specific email addresses for any or all of work/school, home, web-based subscriptions
and promotions, and a constant address in case they change jobs or schools.
Consumers are also becoming heavier email users. Eighty-three percent of consumers access email for work purposes at least
once a day; 82% access email for personal purposes at least once a day; and 53% check email at least once a day for school purposes.
In addition, the rate of adoption of permission-based commercial
email continues to grow. Ninety-six percent of consumers, who are registered at website or with an online organization, have requested email from businesses (primarily online newsletters, websites,
and discussion groups), with the average consumer receiving permission-based email from approximately six businesses. Despite the widespread acceptance of permission-based commercial email, 78% of
consumers surveyed believe they