An interesting study emerged recently by email deliverability firm Return Path, indicating that a surprising number of brands make no effort to optimize their messaging strategy when plagued with low or no response from recipients.
The study was conducted over a 19-month period, starting with the company purchasing a single item from various Online retailers while also signing up for their email program in the process. Over the 19-month period, Return Path kept track of the email received from each retailer despite not opening, clicking or responding to a single message.
At the end of the study, researchers found that most retailers continued to send email at a steady, high frequency rate for the entire 19-month period, despite a total lack of communication from the subscriber. After no response whatsoever, many brands actually increased frequency to sometimes 1-2 messages per day. “These results show that retailers lack conversational skills in dealing with the apparently uninterested subscriber,” Return Path noted in the study.
The bottom line is that by pushing email to subscribers without regard for consumer interests or preferences, marketers are putting their email sending reputation at risk, which in turn creates deliverability problems for their entire email marketing program. “By moving from a ‘one-way conversation’ to a true dialog, marketers can re-engage lapsed buyers with their email program and their company,” the firm said.