Thursday, January 31, 2013

'Mobilize' Your E-Mail to Optimize 44% of Opens

With 44% of e-mail opens occurring on mobile devices, more than half of today's marketers are optimizing their e-mail campaigns for mobile viewers, or at least planning to do so. So if you aren't "mobilizing" your e-mail, you're in the marketing minority now. This latest data on e-mail marketing comes from a survey by interactive marketing provider Experian Marketing Services. Yet despite the focus on expanding digital reach, many marketers aren't using digital means to acquire e-mail subscribers. The Experian report, "Email Market Study: Acquisition and Engagement Tactics," found 78% of marketers use sales associates to collect e-mail addresses; 22% are using pop-up windows on their websites; and 36% still collect e-mail addresses on paper. And, beyond seeking e-mail addresses, a good chunk of marketers aren't using digital interaction to gather information about their customers and prospects either. The report shows that 30% of respondents make no fields in a registration form mandatory, suggesting they use other tactics, such as preference centers and surveys, to gather additional information about customers later. See the btobonline.com report at
http://www.btobonline.com/article/20130116/EMAIL13/301169995/experian-44-of-email-opens-occur-on-mobile-devices

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Direct Retailers Had Jolliest 2012 Holiday Season

It was a jolly holiday season last year for direct retailers, meaning those who sell directly to consumers via the web, catalogs and TV infomercials. Non-store retailers racked up an 11.3% sales gain for November and December 2012 over the same months of the prior year, according to U.S. Commerce Department figures. By comparison, total retail sales (excluding automotive) tallied a more modest 4.1% increase over the prior year, and retail stores garnered just 3.2% more in sales. One drag on retailers' holiday cheer was anemic spending for electronics. Total electronics sales, not adjusted for seasonal differences, decreased nearly 0.3% in December 2012 compared to December 2011, per Commerce Department statistics. For more, see the Internet Retailer story at http://www.internetretailer.com/2013/01/15/direct-retailers-lead-way-holiday-sales