In a new study of more than 4,000 e-mail marketers, e-mail service provider ExactTarget finds that the bigger the e-mail list, the lower the open and click-through rate. Marketers with lists of
100,000 or more names experienced an average open rate of 18.2 percent, and click throughs of 3.6 percent, according to the findings, the worst performing group of the study. Those with between 101
and 1000 names on their list, the best-performing group of marketers, received an average open rate of 42.1 percent and a click-through rate of 6.8 percent. Lists with between 1,001 and 10,000 names
received an average open rate of 33.2 percent and a CTR of 5.1 percent; for 10,001 to 100,000 the average rates were 25.8 percent and 4.5 percent. An ExactTarget executive said the numbers show strong
evidence in favor of audience segmentation, or behavioral targeting, since smaller, more targeted lists received better numbers. He also noted that while the downward trend in open rates is somewhat
predictable as a list expands beyond 100,000, the downward trend for CTRs is more difficult to predict, as e-mail creative and content play a more crucial role in causing a consumer to take further
action.
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