• by May 8, 2001

While the results of a new Jupiter Media Metrix study may be viewed as effective marketing direction for retailers, it may also be seen as an appropriate positioning strategy for an advertising campaign, or a window on the psychographics of an impatient retail consumer.

Jupiter found that customer expectations for e-mail response have been increasing over the last two years, from 24 hours to 12 to six. And, concurrently, found that more than half, 53%, of retail companies respond to e-mail within six hours, as do most businesses in other industries.

Only 38% of companies meet the response criteria, and 33% are taking three days or longer to respond or are not doing so at all. And the service is getting worse. In its last quarterly survey, Jupiter said that 19% of companies did not respond to inquiries, compared to 24% in this more recent survey.

Other findings:

- 12% of travel companies, and all corporate brand Web sites, are least effective at resolving customer inquiries within six hours.

- 46% of financial services companies rank second behind retailers.

- 25% of all inquiries receive no response at all.

Do a client performance inventory!