A joint survey amongst Belgian internet users and businesses carried out by EmailGarage and iVOX confirms e-mail marketing as a mature marketingcommunications medium:

• 90% of Belgian internet users subscribe to at least one electronic newsletter
• 75% of them subscribe to 3 – 4 newsletters
• Personalization and ‘identification with’ customers prove to be key to successful e-mail marketing
• 67.7% of respondents subscribe to e-mail newsletters because they are relevant to their hobbies
• 56% subscribe to newsletters that deliver exclusive savings
• 49.5% will also subscribe to the electronic newsletters that offer information about limited-time offers
• Nearly 50% of Belgian internet users have subscribed to the newsletters of the brands they love
• 76,4% will share their personal information to receive more appropriate promotions and information
• Over 30% have subscribed to electronic newsletters off-line: at an event, in a shop, or at a fair
• The two biggest problems that businesses say they face when it comes to e-mail marketing are acquiring new e-mail addresses and making sure their current subscribers remain on the list
• the most interesting topics for Belgian consumers are: supermarkets, real estate, airline tickets, hotel & accommodation, computers, healthcare & beauty

The study also demonstrates that it is crucial to address newsletter readers in their own language – literally, not only figuratively.

Says Steven Deketelaere, Managing Director iVOX:“One of the things that irritate Belgian internet users the most is e-mail in English. 2 out of 3 Belgians will not read a commercial message if it is in English. You speak to the Flemish in Dutch, and to the Walloons in French. English as a compromise is not acceptable.”

Businesses are clearly well aware of this: 83% of businesses customize their e-mails in at least some fashion. These companies also reap the benefits from personalization: their results are consistently stronger than those of the 17% of the companies that do not customize their e-mail marketing communications.

Says Luc Robijns, General Manager EmailGarage: “There are many possibilities and opportunities for companies to optimize the dialogue with their customers. By paying more attention to the language the reader speaks, by keeping in mind the relationship – is it a prospect or an actual customer, a one-off or a regular customer and so on – and by taking into account the customers’ preferences and behavior. The research clearly showed that there is still a lot of space for improvement in this area.”

Methodology of the consumer survey (iVOX)

• Sample: N = 1045
• Fieldwork: late April 2008
• Method: CAWI (Computer-Aided Web Interviewing), online research panel iVOX
• Population: Belgian internet users (all profiles: low-heavy, newbies & experts), 18-70

Methodology of the business survey (EmailGarage)

• Sample: N = 281
• Fieldwork: late April/early May 2008
• Method: CAWI
• Population: Belgian businesses (all profiles: small-large; heavy and light users of e-mailmarketing; B2B, B2C and non-profit)