Location key in communications response

Epilson's Global Consumer E-mail Study has suggested that consumers are using online communication tools and responding to permission-based e-mail in varying ways based on their country of origin.

The study, conducted by ROI Research, is based on an April 2009 survey of more than 4,000 consumers in 13 countries.

E-mail remains a mainstay communication, proliferating new devices for timing and convenience.

The study found that North American (87 per cent) and European (74 per cent) respondents are more likely than their peers in APAC (58 per cent) to use e-mail as their primary online communications tool.

As the main channel for communication, instant messaging is notably high in APAC with 28 per cent while text/SMS and social networking remain consistently low across all regions.

While most consumers manage one primary inbox for the programmes they subscribe to, mobile phones and PDAs are gaining popularity for time-sensitive alerts such as news, weather and finance/stock information.

E-mail is also replacing other channels of communication.

More than one-third of respondents have replaced traditional channels in favour of e-mail for communications from banks (40 per cent), promotional postal mail (38 per cent) and telemarketing (34 per cent) and there is a desire for e-mail to continue to displace offline coupons (14 per cent) and telemarketing (28 per cent).

A permission-based e-mail (PBE) is an e-mail communication from a marketer to a consumer or business that has subscribed or opted-in to receive e-mail communications from the sender.

PBEs are more likely to elicit actions from APAC respondents, including clicking on a website, signing up for more information, watching a video clip, clicking on an advertised link or purchasing on- or off-line.

APAC also leads in reported usage of a PDA or smartphone for e-mail with 32 per cent, significantly more than North America (nine per cent) and Europe (seven per cent).

In addition, consumers take a variety of offline actions including visiting a store (49 per cent) and purchasing by phone (25 per cent) or catalogue (25 per cent), which reinforces the need for marketers to implement a multichannel strategy.

Six out of 10 (59 per cent) APAC consumers report making an offline purchase as a result of e-mail communications, followed by North America (53 per cent) and EMEA (37 per cent).

Another notable difference by region is the compelling feature that leads consumers to open a permission-based e-mail, implying the need for individual targeting, timely/trigger delivery and relevant content.

While half of APAC respondents feel that 'subject' lines are the most compelling feature, more than two-thirds of North American and European respondents select the 'from' line.

Discount offers, free product offers, familiar brand names and personalisation of subject lines increase the likelihood of opening among all respondents.

Andrew Frawley, president, e-mail and digital solutions at Epsilon, said: 'In order to reach consumers at the right time with the most appropriate message, it is critical that multichannel marketers understand consumer behaviour and properly adjust their message, timing, and overall strategy to ensure success.

'This research also clearly demonstrates that the e-mail channel does not exist in isolation from other online and offline channels.

'Organisations must integrate these e-mail best practices with communications in other channels to deliver the highest return on investment programmes,' he added.

Respondents cite security and lack of attractive offers/promotions as the primary reasons why they do not interact with the e-mails they receive.

North American respondents are the most likely to unsubscribe, with irrelevant content and frequency cited as the two most likely reasons for un-subscription.

About eight in 10 North American respondents have added PBE addresses to safe sender lists; overall, more than half of respondents have added PBE addresses to safe sender lists.

Respondents are most concerned about viruses, identity theft, phishing, and scams.

Concerns about phishing and pharming have increased significantly from 2005 to 2009 for US respondents.

Kevin Mabley, senior vice-president of strategic services at Epsilon, said: 'This study is a global guide for e-mail marketers to understand consumer preferences and the complex combination of timing, frequency and content relevancy across a variety of devices.

'This understanding is the first step to enabling marketers to segment and deliver timely, relevant content to their increasingly-savvy and increasingly-global subscriber base.

'These findings reinforce the need for marketers to speak to consumers in a two-way dialogue, with respect for their stated preferences and recognition of past interactions.

'Further, what works in Japan may not apply in Canada, thus knowledge of local marketplace trends is crucial and testing each strategy and programme will provide confirmation of what's working.

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