Most Marketers Still Don’t Let Consumers Control Email Frequency or Content

Many consumers welcome brand communications, but they also call for more curated experiences. And if provided the right tools, they will happily customize those experiences for themselves.

According to a November 2018 study from Alliance Data, a majority of the consumers surveyed said they want more control over email frequency and the content they receive from brands. However, only a small number of marketers said they are meeting those needs.

Another pain point is the lack of personalization that goes into brand outreach. A February 2019 study from Havas found that nine out of 10 consumers expect brands to deliver content. However, 58% of content created by the world’s leading 1,800 brands is "poor, irrelevant and fails to deliver," according to the report.

According to a November 2018 study from Alliance Data, a majority of the consumers surveyed said they want more control over email frequency and the content they receive from brands. However, only a small number of marketers said they are meeting those needs.

Giving up control over communications is likely to benefit marketers and companies in the long run—doing so reduces consumers' likelihood of being overwhelmed by half, Alliance Data found.

What’s more, 52% of consumers agreed with the statement: “When I can control the content and/or the frequency of the communications I receive from retailers, I am more likely to pay attention when they send something to me.”

Also important to a personalized customer experience is individualism. Forty-two percent of adult consumers in North America and the UK said they feel like an individual when companies enable them to customize and control their brand interactions, per a January 2019 survey from The Harris Poll.

Furthermore, marketers can individualize their outreach by sending offers available to just that consumer, recognizing the same consumer across various touchpoints, or by providing recommendations based on previous purchases.