80% of retailers utilise email marketing

A massive 80 per cent of retailers use email marketing to update their customers of new products and services, according to new figures.

The new Silverpop 2007 Retail Email Marketing Study researched a number of questions in relation to opt-in practices for email content across 150 major retailers in the UK and the US.

And while 80 per cent of retailers offer email sign-up functions, alerts and newsletters on their website, this represents a five per cent increase from the number doing so two years ago.

However, a number of online entrepreneurs are missing a trick with 35 per cent admitting they hide away registration information within their site.

The manner is which online marketers are directing their email campaigns has varied also with 30 per cent now using a letter/newsletter format, 26 per cent a postcard design and 19 per cent a single text pane.

Interestingly, online marketers have realised simplicity is the best way to guarantee user email marketing involvement. Now 61 per cent of those questioned only asked for an email address compared to 37 per cent in the study from 2005.

Want to access the full Silverpop report? (PDF format) Click here.