22% of customers expect brands to send marketing emails every fortnight: WATConsult Report

• WATConsult has launched a new report titled, 'Effectiveness of Email Marketing.’
• Our study reveals that 22% of customers expect brands to send marketing emails every fortnight.

WATConsult, the globally awarded hybrid digital agency from the house of dentsu India, has released its latest issue of WATPapers. Titled ‘Effectiveness of Email Marketing’, the report speaks about the importance of tools in a marketing strategy, its effect on purchase decisions, and a consumer’s in-depth perspective towards marketing emails.

Email marketing has been one of the most traditional yet effective marketing channels. Marketing efforts can fetch great opportunities, however, there must be an understanding of the frequency of sending promotional emails and testing the content beforehand. Our study reveals that 22% of customers expect brands to send marketing emails every fortnight. Presently, while the customers in the age group of 18 to 24 years have been receiving promotional emails multiple times a week, customers in the age group of 46 and above have been receiving them every fortnight.

From an industry standpoint, customers believe that they receive way more promotional emails than expected from categories such as entertainment, finance, insurance, retail and e-commerce. Nevertheless, categories like travel & tourism, education and banking exercise the right frequency of once a week, once a fortnight and monthly, respectively. The report further demonstrates that majority of consumers sign up for promotional emails to get exclusive news and updates. They also seek access to the first look of fresh content via those emails. These are followed by reasons like getting more information about a product or service and participating in contests & sweepstakes.

In order to avoid customers from getting annoyed, it is critical for marketers to study the essential components of promotional emails. Results suggest that young customers in the age group of 18 to 24 years notice the subject line before opening a promotional email, whereas, customers in the age group of 46 to 54 years observe the content preview. Additionally, to prevent customers from unsubscribing from the email list and to enhance customer relationships, marketers must indulge in personalised emails, based on browsing behaviour.

Commenting on the latest issue of WATPapers, Heeru Dingra, CEO, WATConsult said, “Email marketing continues to be one of the most effective and low-cost ways for small to mid-size businesses to convert prospects into customers. This channel has kept up with the times. Hence, although brands are migrating towards omnichannel marketing, email is still the central focus. Advancements in technology have made marketing automation a possibility and have improved many aspects of email planning and management. As per the report, 22% of customers say that these emails are extremely helpful in a purchase decision. I believe, this latest issue of WATPapers will be an invaluable resource for anyone who intends to demystify email marketing.”

WATPapers are monthly published short reports based on the primary research conducted by Recogn, the agency’s research division that provides consumer and business insights to its audience. WATPapers delve into the different aspects of the digital industry, consumer behaviour and more. Additionally, the research also covers some relevant topics like the adoption of ‘Work from Home’ by Indians, changes in consumer spends during COVID-19 and the switch to online education during the pandemic.

WATConsult’s research vertical, Recogn, in the past, has published many detailed and comprehensive pieces of research such as ‘Digital Diverse and Multilingual India’, ‘Voice Technology in India: Now & Future’ and ‘Instagram in India’, to name a few.