Email Driving Holiday E-Commerce Sales

Color me surprised by the following stats released by comScore:

Source of Referred  E-Commerce Dollars by Tactic
for Week Ending December 7 vs. Corresponding Days in 2007

Non-Travel (Retail) Spending
Excludes Auctions and Large Corporate Purchases

Dec. 1 – Dec. 7, 2008 vs. Corresponding Shopping Days in 2007
Total U.S. – Home/Work/University Locations

Source: comScore, Inc.

I am not all that surprised that search, as an e-commerce sales driver, is a bit down in 2008.  The search space is getting more and more cluttered, cost-per-click and cost-per-acquisition prices are rising, and at the same time many companies are cutting budgets.

The surprise is in the email marketing category.  We all complain that we’re getting more and more email, and most of it remains boring, irrelevant and impersonal.  While these figures may simply reflect a heavier use of email by etailers, perhaps what we’re seeing is marketers getting smarter about email.  Maybe marketers are finally embracing the one-to-one customer relationships that email can nurture if the audience is chosen carefully, the content is relevant and timely, and the overall communication personalized for each recipient.

Wishful thinking on my part?

About Mike Sweeney:

As Right Source’s co-founder and CEO, Mike Sweeney creates, plans, and implements our vision, mission, culture, and strategic direction as well as serving as an advisor to our clients. Mike received a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a major in marketing from the University of Notre Dame and has more than 20 years of experience in B2B marketing strategy, including digital, content, and marketing technology. You can find Mike on Twitter and LinkedIn, or read his other posts.