Responsys: Promotional email sends up 20% YoY

For October, specifically, promotional email sends increased 22% over October 2011. However, all is not rosy where email is concerned. The Responsys data shows Hurricane Sandy and efforts to support breast cancer research slowed email communications recently.

Responsys data shows only about 2% of promotional messages mentioned October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month or Susan G. Komen for the Cure partnerships. That is a decrease of more than 33% over 2011 and Responsys notes the decreases are likely because of the political scandal from earlier in 2012.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Sandy didn't stop retailers from sending emails, but did slow the release of holiday campaigns. While the National Retail Federation notes that 40% of Americans began holiday shopping in October and 63% of major retailers had mentioned the upcoming holiday season there was a decrease compared to total email sends.

"Hurricane Sandy likely caused some retailers, especially those headquartered in states most affected by the superstorm, to hold off on Christmas messaging for both logistical reasons and in an effort to be sensitive to those impacted," said Chad White, Research Director at Responsys. "As power is restored and recovery efforts get into full swing, I expect holiday messaging to return to normal levels."

Why the focus on email? Because it works, According to the Direct Marketing Association, email returns $40.56 for every $1 spent (2011). Nearly three-quarters of online adults in the US prefer to get promotional messages through email (Merkle).

Tags: email messaging, email trends, Responsys, retail email