39% of consumers would like to receive emails weekly from retailers with whom they have opted in, according to [download page] a November 2011 white paper from MarketLive and the e-tailing group. Data from the “2011 Merchant Guide to Maximizing Sales” indicates that this is more than double the proportion indicating the second-most preferred option, twice a month, and triple that of the third-most preferred choice, 2-6 times a week. In fact, more consumers would prefer to receive emails on a monthly basis (13%) than on a daily basis (8%). Retailers ought to pay heed to these preferences: according to a February 2011 report from Exact Target and coTweet, the most common complaint given by consumers as a reason they unsubscribed from a company’s permission-based emails was that they came too frequently (54%). Another 49% (more than one answer permitted to the question) cited the content becoming boring or repetitive over time. Receiving too many emails closely followed, cited by 47% of respondents.
Majority Will Shop on Black Friday
52% of respondents to the Marketlive/etailing group survey plan to shop online on Black Friday, closely followed by the proportion who plan to be in buying mode the weekend after Thanksgiving (51%) and on Cyber Monday (50%). By contrast, just 26% plan to shop online the day before Thanksgiving, compared to 24% who will shop the day after Christmas.
2 in 5 Will Stick to Deals
According to the report, 37% of consumers claim they will not pay full price for gifts over the holiday season under any circumstances. 32% say they would be swayed to purchase a gift at full price if it appeared perfect for someone on their list, while 28% say they would pay full price for items that never go on sale. Just 19% of consumers would pay full price when receiving free shipping on their order, while even less would be influenced by a store where they received rewards points for their purchase (15%) or by excellent customer service coupled with the right product (14%).
In-Store Search Most Popular Device Activity
When asked how likely they would be to engage in certain behaviors via mobile phone or related devices over the holiday season, 9% of consumers say that purchasing gifts as a result of a text message is one of their top 2 very or somewhat likely activities, matched by the proportion who attribute the same importance to purchasing gifts from a mobile phone. In-store searches appear to resonate most with consumers: 14% cite researching gifts on a mobile phone during a store visit as a top 2 very or somewhat likely activity, slightly ahead of those researching gifts on their mobile phone prior to a store visit (12%).
About the Data: The MarketLive/e-tailing group findings are based on an online survey of 1,021 consumers in September 2011. Respondents were evenly split between men and women who had shopped online four or more times in the past year and typically spend $250 or more online annually.
