Study: Consumers more open to e-mail from restaurants than from retailers

[immy79]

Article:
Consumers more open to e-mail from restaurants than from retailers (http://www.internetretailer.com/dailyNews.asp?id=19600)
Source: Internet Retailer

Snippet:
"A look at e-mail marketing campaigns in 13 industries shows retailers score lowest with open rates, a new study concludes. Retail marketing e-mails were opened by only 35.3% of recipients; by comparison, restaurants shot off the scales with a 167.7% open rate (exceeding 100% occurs by way of pass-along and reopened e-mail), according to the Harte-Hanks Postfuture Index for January 2006 through June 2006. The marketing and advertising firm measured numerous e-mail marketing metrics on more than 4,300 business and consumer campaigns."

Talking Points:
What factors do you think affect open rates for retail-specific messages?
What are some ways you have been successful in increasing your email response rates?

[cygnus]

A possible reason for the above findings could be because restaurants are not known for spamming their customers. An internet user is always wary of mails from unknown retailers because of the large amout of spam circulating in the internet today. Restaurants however seem more genuine that retailers. The reasons could be purely psychological

[webnancy]

True, and the offers which they give are genuine too once you walk in there !! :) For a foodie, this could be the best thing possible.