According to a new poll from the Chief Marketing Officer Council, 64% of consumers say promotional offers dominate both the email and traditional mail they receive, and only 41% view these as
must-read communications. Of the 91% of consumers who opt out or unsubscribe to emails, 46% are driven to brand defection because the messages are simply not relevant.
Reasons US Internet User Unsubscribe from Email Newsletters (% of Respondents
Unsubscribed) |
advertisement advertisement Reason | % of Unsubscribers |
Not relevant | 46% |
Too many to manage | 23 |
Cause clutter in inbox | 16 |
Not from trusted source | 16 |
Source: CMO Council and InfoPrint Solutions, November 2009 |
41% of consumers say they would consider ending a brand
relationship due to irrelevant promotions, and an additional 22% say they would definitely defect from the brand. Yet, while marketers continue to weigh the pros and cons of email versus printed
postal mail, consumers are much more concerned about the level of individualization and understanding of their needs and relationship with the brand.
Key findings of the consumer engagement
study highlighted in the report, Why Relevance Drives Response and Relationships, showed that:
- Nearly three quarters of consumers have received promotions for products they
have previously purchased from the company
- 73% of consumers would be open to receiving print statements if mailed materials were recyclable or part of a sustainability
program
- Nine out of ten consumers open monthly bills delivered via traditional mail, compared to 72% who open bills delivered via email
- When given the opportunity to
choose, 51% of consumers prefer to receive product or service promotions via traditional mail while 44% prefer email
Types of Email US Internet Users Always Open |
Type of
Email | % of Respondents |
Monthly bills | 72% |
Bank statements | 60% |
Promotional offers | 41% |
E-newsletters | 40% |
News alerts | 37% |
Source: CMO Council and InfoPrint Solutions Company, November 2009 |
The CMO Council report
found that consumers are overloaded with unwanted direct marketing and promotional messages that are blasted out via email, or mass-produced and mailed in vast quantities, choking mail boxes and
filling recycling bins. In most cases, recipients ignore, or have become immune, to standardized commercial overtures. And with the advent of the Internet, consumers are seeking product information
and affirmation from trusted sources and referral networks online.
Liz Miller, Vice President, Programs and Operations, CMO Council, said "Irrelevant, impersonal communications...
(do) not engage a receptive recipient... customers will disconnect and stop doing business with brands who continue to send messages that demonstrate a lack of intimacy, customer insight and
individual understanding."
Even when marketers have deeper engagements with customer, as with loyalty clubs and rewards programs, they are often missing the mark in delivering
meaningful messages. In fact, only 6% of consumers felt that the promotions received through loyalty club communications were based on preferences or past purchasing behavior. 30% of consumers stated
they are inspired to do business with a company after receiving personalized communication.
Sandra Zoratti, Vice President, Global Solutions Marketing at InfoPrint Solutions Company,
concludes that "The research... shows that staying relevant, valued and connected to customers has become the number one challenge for marketers today..."
Additional report
highlights:
- Traditional junk mail accounts for over 100 billion pieces of mail each year, and 44% of this unsolicited, primarily promotional mail ends up in a
landfill...unopened
- Email waste is also staggering. There is more than 200 billion email messages sent each day, yet 97% of all email sent is actually spam, according to an
April, 2009 report released by Microsoft
- Cisco reports "customized" spam that is based on personal information stolen from the web has quadrupled over the last 12 months
(2009)
- The average email open rate across 16 industries during Q2 of 2009 now stands at 22.2%, and has increased for the fourth quarter in a row
- About 3.3% of
opt-in emails for subscribers in the US and Canada were sent to "junk" or "bulk" email bins, while 17.4% did not get delivered at all
- Forrester reports that by
2014, email marketing spend will rise to $2 billion - almost double the projected spend of $1.2 billion for 2009
- The average individual is expected to receive 25 messages a day in
five years, double 10 or 12 emails received now
For additional information from the CMO council and a complimentary summary
of findings, please visit here.