Research Finds Email Driving More Consumers to Purchase Than Facebook, Text Messaging Combined

New ExactTarget Study Identifies Consumers’ Varied Preferences for Marketing and Personal Communications

INDIANAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A new study released today by global interactive marketing provider ExactTarget (NYSE:ET) found two thirds of online Americans have made a purchase as a result of email, nearly twice the percentage who have purchased after receiving marketing messages delivered via both Facebook and text messaging.

Based on a survey of 1,481 U.S. online consumers, ExactTarget’s 2012 Channel Preference Survey asked how Americans communicate online with brands and with friends and found a growing divide between personal communications preferences and how consumers want to receive marketing messages.

“Americans are changing the way they interact online,” said Jeff Rohrs, ExactTarget’s vice president of marketing. “Our 2012 Channel Preference Survey provides new data that identifies how today’s hyper-connected consumers are engaging with brands and offers exclusive advice on how to avoid the pitfalls of using personal communications preferences as a proxy for marketing communications.”

The study found consumers’ preferences vary significantly for communications with brands and friends. 77 percent of consumers surveyed said they prefer to receive marketing messages via email, while only 45 percent prefer email for personal communications. Five percent said they prefer to receive marketing messages via social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn), while 13 percent prefer social media for personal communications.

Key findings of the research include:

• Email
  • 96 percent of online consumers use email at least weekly.
  • 66 percent have made a purchase after receiving an email marketing message.
  • 76 percent prefer email over all other channels for customer service messages.
  • 66 percent of teens (ages 15-17) prefer email over all other channels for permission-based marketing.
• Text Messaging
  • 68 percent of online consumers use text messaging at least weekly.
  • 16 percent have made a purchase after receiving a text (SMS) marketing message.
  • 25 percent prefer text messaging over all other channels for real-time travel alerts.
  • 9 percent of consumers ages 25-34 prefer text messaging over all other channels for delivery of tickets to an event purchased online.
• Social Media
  • 70 percent of online consumers use Facebook at least weekly.
  • 20 percent use Twitter at least weekly.
  • 20 percent have made a purchase after receiving a marketing message on Facebook.
  • 32 percent of teens (ages 15-17) have made a purchase after receiving a marketing message on Facebook.
  • 16 percent of teens (ages 15-17) have made a purchase after receiving a marketing message on Twitter.
  • 4 percent prefer Facebook over all other channels for permission-based marketing.

The 2012 Channel Preference Survey research is the 14^th report in ExactTarget’s Subscribers, Fans & Followers research series. The study is a follow up to ExactTarget’s 2008 Channel Preferences Survey and includes comparisons between the 2008 data and 2012 results throughout this year’s report. To download the report, click here.

The launch of the research follows Forrester Research naming ExactTarget a “consistent leader” in email marketing in “The Forrester Wave™: Email Marketing Vendors, Q1 2012” report. The report awarded ExactTarget’s current product offering perfect scores for its usability, triggered messaging capabilities, dynamic content, and ability to automate multichannel analytics. To download The Forrester Wave: Email Marketing Vendors, Q1 2012 report, visit www.ExactTarget.com/EmailWave.

About ExactTarget

ExactTarget is a leading global provider of email marketing and cross-channel interactive marketing software-as-a-service solutions that empower organizations of all sizes to communicate with their customers through email, mobile, social media and websites. ExactTarget’s powerful suite of integrated applications enable marketers to plan, automate, deliver and optimize data-driven interactive marketing and real-time communications to drive customer engagement, increase sales and improve return on marketing investment. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana with offices in Europe, South America and Australia, ExactTarget trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “ET.” For more information, visit www.ExactTarget.com.