• by Ray Schultz , December 9, 2020

Retailers have heard the cry of consumers that they’re tired of holiday marketing messages — up to a point. 

Of the brands polled by Square and Wakefield Research, 32% say they won’t send any marketing emails at all this holiday season. 

But 67% of consumers report being overwhelmed by marketing messages during the holidays.  

Despite that, Square found from its own data that there was a 47.5% spike in marketing emails the week prior Thanksgiving versus last year, and a 39% increase the week of Thanksgiving itself. 

Meanwhile, 63% of consumers crave information on discounts, and 47% of retailers agree this is important.

Second on the list is input on new products, with 31% of consumers saying they want such messaging, and 31% of retailers agreeing with them.  

In addition, 31% of consumers want information on safety protocols, and 33% of retailers go along with that. 

Of those polled, 31% or retailers feel business information such as store hours and locations is a priority, compared to 23% of consumers. 

And 24% of consumers feel input on shopping procedures is important. compared to 27% of retailers. 

“In a year fraught with uncertainty for both small businesses and their customers, email marketing has become a critical business tool to create community, form connections, and provide key updates and information to customers,” says Lauren Weinberg, Global Head of Marketing at Square. 

Weinberg adds, “We’re finding that businesses are utilizing email marketing more than ever to drive both customer engagement and brand awareness during a time when it's needed most, becoming savvy marketers in addition to the many other hats they wear as business owners.” 

Square and Wakefield Research polled 500 retailers and 1,000 consumers across the U.S. in November. 

NOTE: This story has been updated.