05-16-2007, 10:43 AM
Quote: Even though other initiatives such as pay-per-click advertising and social networking are gaining status in retail marketing circles, merchants still clearly love e-mail.
E-mail remains one of the best one-on-one marketing tools retailers can use to attract and retain customers and Internet Retailers latest monthly survey finds that merchants are expanding both the size and scope of their e-mail programs. But in spite of their enthusiasm for the medium, most need improvement in such basic areas as open rates, click-throughs and conversions...
E-mail marketing consultants and service providers consider a delivery rate of about 80% to 85% and an open rate of 35% to be an effective e-mail campaign. But the latest Internet Retailer survey reveals that only 40.2% of all merchants are delivering between 90.1% and 100% of their e-mail messages, with 19.1% delivering 80.1% to 90%. By that measure, only 59.3% of respondents have acceptable e-mail delivery rates...
full article: http://www.internetretailer.com/article.asp?id=22234