E-mail Campaigns Positively Influence Consumer Purchases, Perceptions

The receipt of permission-based e-mail from a consumer packaged goods company positively influences consumers' offline purchasing decisions, enhances a company's reputation and generates loyalty to its brands, according to the latest research from Epsilon.

Epsilon's survey research examined why consumers opt to subscribe to e-mails from companies in the CPG, pharmaceutical, travel, financial services and retail sectors of the economy. The research was undertaken to measure how permission-based e-mail campaigns build brand recognition and customer loyalty, and how e-mail communications influence consumers' on- and off-line behavior.

CPG scored the highest, compared to all other sectors, when consumers were asked about the relationship between permission-based e-mail and their offline purchasing, opinions of companies and feelings of loyalty.

Key findings include:

• 62 percent report a direct impact on offline activities such as making purchases and shopping habits;

• 63 percent report a more favorable opinion of CPG companies that send them permission-based e-mails

• 57 percent are more loyal to CPG companies and their products or brands because of the permission-based email communications they receive.

"Consumer packaged goods companies face a challenge when incorporating e-mail communications into their multi-channel marketing mix. They need to engage consumers and find a way to allow them to interact with brands and products both online and offline," says Kevin Mabley, senior vice president, Epsilon Strategic Services. "The research shows that the benefits of e-mail marketing campaigns for consumer packaged goods companies extend far beyond the Internet and into stores and homes."

E-mail communications effectively elicit behavior from consumers that is measurable by marketers as well as behavior that is difficult to track. When asked how often consumers took the following actions as a direct result of receiving permission-based e-mail from a CPG company, on a four-point scale the numbers revealed:

• 91% of respondents downloaded or printed a coupon;
• 81% clicked on a link in an email to learn more;
• 76% tried a new product for the first time;
• 75% read company or brand content;
• 67% researched retail locations that carry the product;
• 66% ordered a product sample;
• 65% shared a coupon or forwarded the email;
• 65% purchased the product online; and
• 34% typed or copied a URL directly into their browser.

Additional in-depth information about CPG e-mail branding preferences and viewpoints is available in a special report from Epsilon. The report can be found at www.epsilon.com/pr/cpgemailbranding.