Consumers believe retailers don't understand them

Retailers have long depended on email marketing as an affordable and effective way to reach their customers, maintain loyalty and drive purchases.

On average, consumers opt-in to receive emails from two retailers and this can lead to them receiving around 13 emails a week. But a new survey reveals that 82 percent of people feel that this constant flow of offers means that the retailers they are loyal to don't understand them.

The survey from sales solution company First Insight shows that two-thirds of shoppers feel that receiving six or more emails a week from retailers is too many. Consumers only open one in four of the emails they receive, and feel that 95 percent of the messages they get are not at all relevant to them. Several consumers surveyed say they have taken action, with 44 percent reporting that they've unsubscribed from a retail email list in the past six months, and 40 percent saying that they would go out of their way to shop at a store that doesn't waste their time with irrelevant email offers.

"Right now we're seeing a huge disconnect in the conversation that retailers think they are having with customers through email marketing efforts," says Jim Shea, Chief Commercial Officer of FirstInsight. "The communications are not only too frequent but are basically meaningless to consumers. What consumers really want is for retailers to take the time to know them and make recommendations about clothing or products that are in line with their personal taste".

A lighter touch and more personalized approach with email marketing seems like the best way to generate business. Their favorite retailers only send them one or two emails a week according to 61 percent of those surveyed, and 43 percent say they would be more likely to open emails from retailers if they knew those messages contained personalized suggestions of products or clothing that aligned with past purchases, rather than simply promoting products that were generally available or reduced.

The survey polled over 1,100 people across the US and you can download the full report from the First Insight website.

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