Most Retail Email Subscribers Are Not Customers

Inboxes could be littered with unwanted retailer offers

August 2, 2016 | Marketing

Only about one-third of US retail email list subscribers have actually made a purchase from the retailer whose email they subscribed to, according to industry data cited by email marketing firm Listrak. Many have made just one purchase from that retailer.

Of the 35% of US retail email list subscribers who are customers of the retailer they got email from, just 15% have made multiple purchases. For retailers, this means that not only are most email subscribers not past customers, but among those who are, the vast majority are not repeat customers.

For consumers, it means many are subscribed to retail emails they may not be terribly interested in—and that could lead to inbox clutter and frustration.

Two-thirds of US internet users who receive five or more retailer emails per week—that’s by any and all retailers—say they receive too many retail emails, which one imagines might turn off users to digital retail. First Insight’s March 2016 report highlights that, of those who receive five or fewer emails per week, just 21% find they receive too many.

Again, it’s important to note these internet users are talking about retailers in general, not just emails from one specific company, which means that retailers ought to take the presence of other retailers when considering email marketing campaigns and the frequency of sent emails.