Results Validate Email’s Role In Facilitating & Driving Ecommerce For Leading Retailers.

Bigfoot Interactive announced the release of its quarterly vertical benchmark analysis for Q4 2004 email communications campaigns. Once again, overall delivery rates (total emails attempted minus all failures) across all major vertical markets were high and reached 94%, 94% and 91% in the Media, Retail and Financial Services markets respectively.

Commerce and promotional efforts in the all-important Q4 holiday season were particularly active with both email volume and performance increasing dramatically over Q3 2004. Total promotional messaging from retailers increased approximately 50%, while the average unique click-through rate increased by 26% over similar efforts in Q3 2004 (4.8% vs. 3.8%). Unique clicks to commerce sites and individual products were valued at more than $375 million dollars for the quarter.

A post-holiday survey conducted by Bizrate.com and shop.org points to retailers’ growing reliance on email communications within their broader integrated efforts. Of the 5,100+ polled, 59% reported online revenue growth of 25% or more and cited their email promotions as one of their most successful marketing vehicles. Email, the survey indicates, gives merchants greater flexibility and boosts customer satisfaction rates and revenue.

“Retailers continue to rely on email communications as an effective and efficient marketing tool to turn browsers into buyers and to drive ongoing customer relationships,” said Al DiGuido, CEO of Bigfoot Interactive. “During Q4 we saw more retailers leveraging the inherent opportunities present in triggering relevant promotional emails at key points in the customer lifecycle and can directly attribute performance and sales gains to those efforts.”

Performance Highlights Across Key Business Segments:

Retail — For the second consecutive quarter, retail and catalog marketers saw an overall record delivery rate of 94%. Marketers achieved new levels of success in the inbox, with the automation of well-crafted, well-timed promotional messaging that upped unique click-through rates from 3.8% to 4.8% quarter over quarter. Email promotions helped contribute to a 23% percent spike in online sales this holiday, reaching a record $21.6 billion according to the Census bureau of the U.S. Commerce Department.

Media — The media vertical continued to show strong deliverability with a 94% overall delivery rate. The performance of editorial efforts fared particularly well with an average unique open rate of 22% and an average unique click-through rate of 12%. Editorial newsletters built around dynamic content continue to set the best in class standard for this vertical market.

Financial Services — The soaring popularity of critical online account service messaging such as bill payment/presentment and balance transfer spurred marketers’ continued diligence towards maintaining high deliverability, with an impressive 96% success rate. America’s growing preference for the convenience of online banking is demonstrated by the 44% unique open rate and an impressive 21% unique click-through rate garnered for service-based emails and alerts.

Automotive — Coming off a particularly strong 3rd quarter, auto marketers continue to do a good job with their service triggered messaging, as evidenced by an increase in unique open rates for service based emails (from 77% to 81% quarter over quarter). Unique click-throughs for editorial messaging were up year over year from 21% to 25%. Finally, year-end clearance and ’05 model pre-launch/launch promotions garnered high interest with a 20% unique click through rate.

For more information at http://www.bigfootinteractive.com