The gaining popularity of social networks, as well as increased texting and cell-phone use, is beginning to impact the effectiveness of e-mail marketing, according to “The Social and Portable Inbox: Optimizing E-mail Marketing in the New Era of Communication Tools,” a report from JupiterResearch.

According to the report, 22% of e-mail users said they use social networking sites instead of e-mail for communications.

Jupiter also found that 44% of Internet users said e-mail marketing had inspired at least one online purchase, and 41% said e-mail had inspired at least one offline purchase.

This is down from last year, when 51% of e-mail users said e-mail marketing had contributed to at least one online purchase, and 47% said e-mail had inspired at least one offline purchase, according to the report, based on an online survey of 2,460 Internet users conducted in April.

Source: BtoBonline