Email marketers improving customer experience

Email marketers are, on the whole, improving their customers’ experience, according to research by Silverpop. However, there’s room for improvement.

by Helen Leggatt

The last Silverpop “Retail Email Marketing Study” was conducted back in 2005. The new study is a repeat and includes reviews of email practices in North America and the U.K.

One of the key changes that Silverpop observed was that many more online businesses are requesting only an email address for registration. Two years ago, just 37 percent of online registrations required a simple email address, compared with 61 percent in 2007.

With the rise in image blocking, many email marketers are steering clear of the postcard style of communications common a couple of years ago. In fact, just 26 percent of emails sent this year were in the postcard style, down from 44 percent in 2005.

"Marketers are making it as easy as possible for consumers to sign on to receive email messages," said Mike Weston, managing director of Silverpop. "Generally that makes sense. A robust email program can gather additional data from subscribers after marketers convince them of the value they receive from the relationship."

Opt-out procedures have also been improved, with fewer clicks and less resistance from business to allow members to unsubscribe.