Retailers shun email targeting

The vast majority of the UK’s top retailers are failing to exploit targeting opportunities in email marketing by adopting a ‘one size fits all’ strategy.
According to research by dotMailer, this approach reduces the accuracy of communications and results in lower conversion rates and effectiveness. Brands like Republic and Amazon that, according to the study, get it right are more likely to achieve a better return on investment through this marketing channel.
dotMailer’s annual Hitting the Mark report added a new criteria this year which scrutinised whether brands were using the customer data available to them to better target their email messages.
The study found that 69% of emails showed no personalisation at all and 87% of messages that were sent following a purchase were no different to those sent to cold prospects.
Most retailers made no attempt to drive cross-sell, up-sell or repeat purchase based in the customer’s previous online buying behaviour. What’s more, only 13% customised the email based on the gender of the recipient.
Shockingly, only one retailer – Amazon.co.uk – followed up an online purchase with an email-marketing message tailored to that purchase.
However, 93% did use triggered emails following a purchase to reassure and build customer loyalty and 67% kept online purchasers informed on the progress of their order, through the use of timely emails.
DotMailer managing director Tink Taylor claims the report is as a wake-up call for those in charge of marketing budgets.
He said“By their nature, online sellers should have access to customer data that can allow them to dramatically increase the relevancy and impact of their email marketing communications with customers. In this tough economic climate, marketers who are not actively collecting and using that data to create targeted email messages that drive related sales are really missing a trick.”