ExactTarget: Study Shows Retailers Missing Opportunities

A new study released by global interactive marketing provider ExactTarget found more than half of America’s fastest growing retailers are missing opportunities to connect online and offline shopping experiences.

In a release on June 5, the company noted that based on in-store and online purchases from retailers on the National Retail Federation’s Stores 2011 Hot 100 Retail Report, ExactTarget’s Retail Touchpoints Exposed research found only 44 percent of brick and mortar stores connect with shoppers post-purchase via email and of those only five percent personalize emails based on in-store purchase.

The latest in ExactTarget’s Subscribers, Fans and Followers research series, the study tracked and analyzed brands’ engagement for 30 days post purchase across email, mobile, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube.

The Study also noted that key findings include: -In-Store (of the 95 of Hot 100 retailers with physical stores) -44 percent sought email opt-in at point of purchase -8 percent used in-store signage to promote their Twitter and Facebook communities -2 percent used in-store signage to promote email or text message engagement -2 percent offered digital copies of receipts via email -Online (of the 72 of the Hot 100 retailers with ecommerce sites) -51 percent saw fans answer customer questions on Facebook before the brand itself -22 percent send cart abandonment emails -21 percent personalize emails after online purchase To download the complimentary research, visit ExactTarget.com/RetailResearch.

 

“Retail Touchpoints Exposed shines a spotlight on the missed opportunities that even the fastest growing retailers experience as consumer continue to interact across online and offline channels,” said Tim Kopp, ExactTarget’s chief marketing officer. “This new research provides retailers – and all online marketers – insight into opportunities to optimize touchpoints to build the most engaged and loyal subscribers, fans and followers.”

Nearly 70 percent of consumers have made a purchase based on an email marketing message, according to ExactTarget’s recent 2012 Channel Preference Survey. The survey of nearly 1,500 consumers also found nearly a third (32 percent) of teens (ages 15-17) have made a purchase after receiving a marketing message on Facebook. To download the research, click here.

ExactTarget is a global provider of email marketing and cross-channel interactive marketing software-as-a-service solutions.