Business and Marketing

It's music to marketers' ears: 60% of people want promotional emails once a week and 28% want them even more frequently.

Nearly three quarters of Americans, fully 72% of the population, say that email is their favored conduit of communication with companies they do business with. What's more, 61% say they like to receive promotional emails on a weekly basis, and some said they'd welcome even greater frequency.

Direct mail was the second favorite link with brands among 2,057 adults surveyed last month by MarketingSherpa. Almost half (46%) listed mailbox matter as desired, followed by TV ads (34%) and print ads (31%). Fewer than 20% indicated a preference for text, social media, or personal conversations.

It's not surprising that email has been called the workhorse of marketing, because it's a horse consumers are comfortable riding. Nine in 10 people surveyed told MarketingSherpa they enjoyed getting emails from favored brands, so much so that 15% would be open to receiving them on a daily basis.

More than three quarters of consumers said they've made purchases influenced by emails, and half of them said they find abandoned cart emails to be helpful. Indeed, conversion rates for such reminders are high. Six percent say they always complete the purchase when email comes and 7% say they always convert if a discount is included.

Almost half of those surveyed had suggestions on how to make inbox appeals even more appealing. Three out of 10 said they'd like to see shorter, more personalized emails. And while a total of 28% related a desire to get more promotional emails, 20% want fewer.

“It's not surprising that consumers continue to be receptive to email,” said Flint McGlaughlin, CEO of MarketingSherpa's parent company, MECLABS. “Email can transcend monologue with dialogue. It enables marketers to build genuine relationships. Ultimately, people don't buy from companies, people buy from people.”

MarketingSherpa is hosting The Email Summit in Las Vegas from February 23 to 26.

Business Breaking News: High School Seniors Not Confident About Job Prospects

Even though they have yet to begin searching for work, most high school students aren't confident they'll find a job they're excited about when they do start, new research finds.

Just 48 percent of high school seniors think they'll be able to find a "good job" after they graduate, according to a Gallup study.

Students don't start out so cynical about their future job prospects, however. The research discovered that the percentage of students who think they'll be able to find a good job when they start their careers declines over time.

Commodity Online News: Fresh buying seen in Chana open interest up 2.96%