The vast majority of UK consumers (63%) say that receiving a promotion through email would prompt them to make an impulse online purchase, compared to offers advertised on web sites (47%) and through social networks (11%), the 2009 European E-mail Attitudes Survey from e-Dialog has found.

Integrating online and offline DM is crucial to sales, however, says e-Dialog, since both direct mail (43%) and catalogues (45%) featured highly in terms of driving consumers to make impulse purchases online.

Conversions from email to store sales also scored highly with 60% of UK consumers claiming they would be more likely to buy something in a high street shop after receiving an email about it.

In addition, 46% of consumers claimed they would be more likely to complete an online transaction if they received an email reminding them of items they had not purchased from their shopping baskets in a previous session.

“For the UK market in particular, email is by far the medium of choice for consumers, but at e-Dialog we have seen that across the European markets there is strong correlation between email and traditional direct mail marketing,” says Simone Barratt, managing director of e-Dialog EMEA. “Using consistent presentation, languages and imagery in email and direct mail or catalogues can reinforce the messaging between these channels. Similarly, an email campaign a few days before the launch of a new catalogue, making consumers aware that one is shortly to be mailed, can dramatically increase sales conversions once it arrives.”

“Brands should leverage the conversion of online to offline significantly more,” adds Barratt. “UK consumers are clearly affected to buy offline by the promotional emails they receive, so by highlighting exactly where brands have a physical presence through an email could have a profound effect.”

“Across Europe, our research and experience has shown that nearly a third of consumers say that reminder emails would make them convert a previously abandoned sale,” Barratt concluded. “Connecting email to the relevance of what consumers are actually doing online must be a key priority for marketers. Mailing consumers who’ve left items in their baskets and incentivising them with offers such as ‘come back and buy these products in 24 hours for a five per cent discount’ will make a considerable difference to sales.”

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