Email is the preferred channel of communication for US consumers, followed by direct mail, social media and finally telemarketing.
These are the findings of a survey conducted last year by smartFOCUS, an international provider of multi-channel marketing software and services.
When asked to rank their preferred methods of receiving marketing messages from vendors, the majority of respondents (62%) said that email was their preferred channel of communication, followed by direct mail (23%), then social media (13%).
The least preferred way to be contacted was telemarketing, with 80% putting it at the bottom of their lists.
Email marketing is a purchasing trigger
The survey, conducted in October 2009, also showed that email communications frequently trigger purchases, with three-quarters (75%) of respondents indicating that they had bought products or services as a direct result of receiving an email from a vendor.
The most common items bought as a result of direct email marketing were clothing and accessories (82%), followed by purchases from restaurants and coffee shops by almost half (49%) of respondents.
Other popular items bought as a direct result of email marketing campaigns include grocery items (40%) and personal electronics (38%).
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