Epsilon emphasises e-mail targeting importance

An Epsilon International product story

Edited by the Marketingweek Marketplace editorial team Nov 19, 2009

A consumer survey by Epsilon International has suggested that 18-25-year-olds are more likely to respond to 'free product' or 'discount' in e-mail subject lines than any other age group.

According to the research, 66 per cent of UK 'millennials' respond to subject lines including an offer for a free product or discount, while only 33 per cent respond to breaking news, general information or new product announcements.

Of those who unsubscribe to permission-based e-mails, the greatest concern was e-mail frequency (77 per cent).

The survey indicates that between one and three e-mails per week are acceptable to most but four e-mails in a week are too many.

The next biggest reason to unsubscribe, according to the survey, is irrelevant content (56 per cent).

Millennials are not especially concerned by spam (55 per cent) or unsavoury content (44 per cent) but are highly concerned about identity theft (77 per cent), which indicates that spam and adult content is a normalised and expected part of their web-browsing experience.

Being more receptive to both online and offline special offers, millennials are more willing to stay in e-mail programmes rather than their elders, who are statistically more likely to unsubscribe.

A higher percentage of millennials report that they actively want to receive certain types of permission-based e-mails more than once a day.

This includes specials offers from online merchants (33 per cent), special offers from traditional (offline) retailers (33 per cent), travel, electronics information and telecommunications information (22 per cent).

Ian Hitt, managing director at Epsilon International EMEA, said: 'This research emphasises the importance of segmented and targeted marketing campaigns since there is a clear difference in behaviour among age groups.

'To reach the lucrative millennials group, e-mail marketers should utilise age data on profiles to send relevant content to the right device as well as incorporate preferences and behavioural data.

'In addition, an understanding of global attitudes will allow marketers to effectively reach the next-generation user.