Silverpop Study Highlights Email Practices of Top 500 Online Retailers

Recession pushes increases in frequency but gives customers fewer options
ATLANTA--(Business Wire)--
Attendees of the "Internet Retailer 2009 Conference & Exhibition" in Boston June
15-18 will be interested to discover the findings of the latest evaluations of
top online retailers conducted recently by Silverpop, a leading provider of B2C
customer engagement marketing solutions and multichannel B2B marketing
automation. In its annual review, researchers found that retailers have
increased the frequency of communications to their customers-potentially a risky
endeavor if the messages aren`t highly relevant.

The finding was part of a Silverpop study evaluating email practices of top
online retailers throughout North America. The study, published in Internet
Retailer`s "Top 500 Guide," evaluated the email marketing programs of 895 top
retailers based on annual revenue, as identified by the publication. Silverpop
researchers registered with each company that offered email opt-ins and reviewed
messages received between November and December of 2008. Email programs were
evaluated for frequency, incentives, preference centers and personalization.
Findings were compared between the top 500 retailers and others as well as with
results from a study completed during the previous holiday season.

"Perhaps because of the tight economy, or because retailers have found that
email marketing works so well, retailers making the Top 500 list sent more than
two additional emails a month compared with those companies that didn`t make the
revenue cut," said Bill Nussey, CEO of Silverpop. "Overall, Top 500 retailers
sent an average of 8.6 emails to recipients during the 30-day evaluation period,
compared with an average of 5.7 emails from the 395 retailers that didn`t make
the list."

In comparing 2008 to 2007, Top 500 retailers sent a total of 3,242 emails last
year compared to 2,645 in 2007. Silverpop also found that a greater percentage
of smaller retailers are engaging with customers through email. Ninety-one
percent of retailers ranked between 501 and 895 now offer email programs-up from
83 percent last year. Also, 17 percent more retailers included special sales or
discount incentives this year versus last year.

What didn`t increase this year was the number of companies offering subscribers
options of the type or frequency of messages they would like to receive. Only 28
percent of the Top 500 and 14 percent of the remaining retailers offered choices
at opt-in. This is down from 56 percent and 26 percent respectively last year.

Among retailers that clearly understand the importance of listening to customers
and the value of relevancy is Diapers.com-a Silverpop client and the 140th
largest online retailer, according to Internet Retailer`s guide.

"Our customers tend to be moms who are very busy and have their hands pretty
full raising their little ones, so our goal is to make their lives just a little
easier, and email is one of the tools we use to do this," said Matthew
Lindenberg, assistant director of marketing for Diapers.com. "We speak to moms
in an extremely targeted manner by distributing emails featuring customized
content and appropriate products based on the ages of their children, and also
send reminder emails to moms who added items to their shopping carts but forgot
to check out. These communications provide relevant content and engage our
customers despite their hectic lives."

"Email has become a frequently used tool for retailers, but taking the time to
do it right will require dedication and support," said Bill Nussey, CEO of
Silverpop. "As retailers begin to rely on email more heavily, it is important
they recognize that consumers are in control and become adept at engagement
marketing. Engaging with consumers will become critical for retail success in
the coming years."

About Silverpop

Silverpop's Engagement Marketing suite helps turn prospects into customers, and
customers into fans. Silverpop's Web-based solutions enable companies worldwide
to build relationships with customers and prospects through the creation,
automation and delivery of relevant, online messaging.

Companies rely on the Silverpop Engage platform to create and manage
multichannel marketing campaigns that reach millions of individuals-one at a
time-enhancing lifetime customer value and brand loyalty. Silverpop's Engage B2B
platform seamlessly scores sales leads, nurtures them through the pipeline and
measures campaign return on investment. And Silverpop's strategic counsel,
service and support helps clients with the precise level of training and advice
needed to quickly improve campaign results and ROI. Silverpop makes it easy and
affordable for marketers to create, automate and execute campaigns ... from
first click to lifetime customer. With offices in the United States, England and
Germany, Silverpop's engagement marketing technologies are used by
industry-leading brands around the globe. Best practices and white papers are
available at www.silverpop.com.

Silverpop
Stacy Kirk, 770-661-0633
Senior Corporate Communications Associate
skirk@silverpop.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009