Email Volume Increases By 9% As Consumers Become More Discerning Toward Permission Based Marketing
June 25, 2007 – Vancouver, BC – “Email Marketing 2008”, a new study released by Ipsos Reid, has found that Canadians are continuing to receive more and more email on a weekly basis. This continues the trend seen over the past few years. The average number of emails received increased by 9% in the past year, although the increase is much smaller than the 26% increase observed between 2005 and 2006.
The increasing volume of email received by Canadians is causing a few issues however, with 38% of Canadians saying that they have trouble keeping up with all the email they receive. The volume of email is also impacting working Canadians productivity at the office. In 2007, only 43% of Canadians felt that email has made them more efficient at work, compared to 52% in 2006.
“In order to combat the increasing volume of e-mail, Canadians have created ‘junk mail’ folders that capture over two-fifths (42%) of all email received,” says Mark Laver, Associate Vice-President with Ipsos Reid. “Clearly then, Canadians are creating strategies to deal with the volume of email they receive.”
While Canadians complain about the volume of email they receive, they may be their own worst enemy. Almost three-quarters (70%) of online Canadians have registered to receive emails from at least one website. This number has fallen from last year when nearly 80% of Canadians had registered to receive emails from at least one website. This decrease is also mirrored in the average number of sites these Canadians had registered with, which dropped from 8.5 sites in 2006 to 7.7 sites in 2007.
As online Canadians struggle to deal with email volume, many email marketers will have to deal with the reality that Canadians are deregistering from lists. Almost 80% of users who have registered with at least one website have also deregistered from an email list. Permission based email marketers will want to ensure subscribers receive relevant content on a consistent basis.
Although, Canadians continue to be willing to provide their email address to websites, the majority (60%) are only somewhat willing, depending on the reason. As Canadians try to manage their volume of email it would appear that there needs to be a compelling reason to sign-up. Laver noted, “This may be the beginning of Canadians trying to manage their email lives. Email marketers will have to find the subtle balance between frequency and relevancy in order for the medium to be a successful marketing tool.”
About Ipsos Reid
Ipsos Reid is Canada’s market intelligence leader, the country’s leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. To learn more, please visit www.ipsos.ca
