Unsolicited E-mail found to be an Effective Marketing Practice

A recent survey by Endai Worldwide revealed that unsolicited marketing e-mails surprisingly have been effective in getting consumers to buy just what the e-mails are aimed for.

The study showed that during the past year, 50% of consumers had bought an item after they opened e-mail soliciting recipients to make a purchase. More than half of the respondents admitted their lofty temptation to check their folders for junk e-mails almost every day and 16% said they responded to spam messages by initiating a purchase.

According to CEO Michael Ferranti of Endai Worldwide, a global online marketing and advertising company in Manhattan, the company is extremely surprised after finding the results of the survey. EarthTimes.org reported this on December 11, 2007. Ferranti said the study reinforced what they had believed from the beginning that any offer that is customer-centric and appealing would motivate the consumer to buy.

40% of those surveyed said that a good deal or offer is a vital factor at the time of deciding whether they would go for a purchase over the Internet. The marketing company also found that an exciting subject line or inclusion of a brand name in the e-mail is important to arouse users' interest in spam mails.

Indeed, about 60% of buyers said that they regarded a well-known sender's address as a motivation to click on the e-mail. However, about 21% of those surveyed said the e-mails they replied to for making a purchase discussed something that specifically interested them.

According to Ferranti, every company should have a well-designed marketing campaign over e-mail and the study proves the effectiveness of such campaigns. Further, Ferranti indicates that the relatively cheap system of generating and sending out marketing e-mails makes online marketing the most economic method to boost consumers' transactions.

In November 2007, Head of interactive media, Robert Dirskovski, for the Direct Marketing Association remarked that consumers should be targeted in ways they find agreeable and accompanied with the right information. Courant reported this on December 16, 2007.

Endai's survey that was conducted in December 2007 queried 7,500 consumers through e-mail questionnaires and nearly 90% of them responded.

Related article: Unsolicited E-mails Touch Record High, Says Commtouch Report

» SPAMfighter News - 12/31/2007