Recently published research examining the effectiveness of email marketing shows that 56% of consumers are more likely to purchase from a company who sends them an email. This research also identifies that 52% of consumers prefer companies who communicate through email, and 48% of consumers feel more loyal towards a company and its products as a result of receiving permission-based emails.

With the online sector developing so quickly, it seems that having an online presence is not enough. Retailers need to meet ever growing customer expectations, with recent research by Capgemini suggesting that 1 in 2 would now like a personalised shopping experience.

According to the latest figures from the Mobile Data Association (MDA), 4.825 billion text messages are sent every month in the UK, equivalent to 4,000 every second. The MDA predicts the total number of texts sent by UK mobile users for the whole of 2007 looks set to reach 52 billion. From these figures we can clearly see how popular this medium of communication has become and this should be a driving force for marketers.

LBM is the fastest growing direct marketing company in the United Kingdom, has taken the first licence to resell the e-MSG email platform provided by the Marketing Innovation Group.  The agreement will enable LBM to offer both B2B email prospect data and an email platform to enable its clients to effectively communicate with and report on email campaigns.

After an initial trial of email Newsletters, the London Chamber of Commerce has taken the licence to use the e-MSG email platform and its web based iNews solution. The iNews solution has been developed by the Marketing Innovation Group as part of their ‘Intelligent Marketing®’ tool kit designed to help marketing and non-marketing people easily and effectively develop the value of their customers via the web.

The importance of measuring return on investment (ROI) on marketing spend was highlighted again in the DMA Consus report. UK Marketing Directors/Senior Marketers cited measurement of marketing effectiveness as their Number1 challenge.

A new report confirms that accurate targeting of e-mail marketing messages makes a significant difference. E-mails based on consumers' expressed preferences are, by definition, more relevant and therefore more likely to be read and responded to.

If the average company possesses email addresses for fewer than one-third of its customers, yet online customer relationships tend to be the most profitable, then how well a company develops its email database can make a big impact on the bottom line!

What are legitimate e-mail marketers supposed to do? They follow CAN-SPAM guidelines. They use proper permission marketing techniques. They mail only to opt-in lists. Still, recipients are increasing hitting the 'This is spam' link.

Consumers request plenty of product information by e-mail but unfortunately, many do not get what they ask for.

The Consumer Email Study points to a confluence of personal and professional email use, a decline in concern regarding spam along with an increase in anxiety regarding viruses and fraud, and confirmation that email drives commerce both online and in stores.