So the user has opened your email and read the content. Great. But where’s the sale? There’s good news here.
First, consumers are increasingly likely to make purchases as a direct result of a business email campaign.
- One-third of users in the DoubleClick study had purchased something by clicking on a link in an email.
- Another 42% clicked on an email link for more information, then purchased the product at a later time.
Second, online couponing is booming:
- 73% of consumers have an online coupon for an online purchase.
- 59% have redeemed an online coupon offline.
In terms of industries, the top performers are travel, hardware/software, electronics, apparel, food, home furnishings, gifts/flowers, and sporting goods. All companies sending business emails in those categories report that between 71% and 80% of recipients have purchased their products because of an email campaign.
For those of you who haven’t yet given a thought to email marketing, here’s an eye opener: according to DoubleClick’s email consumer study,
- Over 78% of online shoppers have purchased through permission-based emails.
- 59% of email recipients have bought in a retail store as a result of a merchant email.
You can launch an email campaign for a fraction of the cost of any other type of direct marketing campaign. All the other mediums include associated costs of conceptualizing, designing, printing, postage and handling, and involve a lot of time and resources. An email campaign can be executed through easily available applications at the click of a button.
- The cost of sending a direct mail piece by postal service runs as much as a dollar, while each email costs less than a nickel.
- Even 1% response rate from a direct mail is considered successful.
- An email marketing campaign can have a response rate ranging from 5 to 10%, as people find it easier to respond back through this medium.
- A well-designed campaign using a properly managed mailing list will give response rates that are much higher than other direct marketing methods.
- It costs less to retain an existing customer than to acquire a new one; email marketing can help you minimize the customer retention cost.
Go ahead and be a part of the race, because if you don’t, your competition will march way ahead before you know it.