Five seconds decide about mail relevance
A study shows: 75 percent of Germans decide on the personal relevance of a mailing in five seconds or less. And: advertising formats in social networks are respected by most consumers, whereas 63 percent find marketing calls very annoying.
Three quarters of respondents in Germany decide within just five seconds whether a letter, as an e-mail or letter, is relevant to them, can be deleted or discarded. For advertisers, this means better exploiting the potential of data. At present, only 14 percent of the companies surveyed use their customers' data to address specific target groups and to identify and exploit new market opportunities.
These are the key findings of the study conducted by the survey institute Coleman Parkes in Germany, France and the UK on behalf of Pitney Bowes. The study analyzes trends and effects of the digitalization of communication on consumer behavior.
Marc Hirtz, Vice President Continental Europe Software Business, at Pitney Bowes also sees the greatest opportunities in this treasure trove of data: "The key to more intensive interaction with consumers and customers lies in personalized targeting. Companies need information to ensure a targeted approach with appropriate tools. This applies equally to content and to digital or analog channels."
The survey shows that consumers are willing to disclose some personal data if this results in a targeted communication approach. Half of the Germans surveyed would, for example, disclose information about their interests, place of residence or birthday if they were addressed more individually in return. For half of the companies surveyed in Germany, the future lies primarily in the area of personalized video communication.
The results with regard to the use of mobile technologies are also noteworthy:
- 74 percent feel it is impolite to check email in meetings and discussions, 28 percent do it anyway.
- 78 percent are bothered by phone calls in public, and 39 percent of respondents admitted to making phone calls themselves in public spaces.
- 82 percent refuse to check text messages such as SMS or WhatsApp during business meals - 26 percent do it anyway.
The survey was conducted in May 2016 by Coleman Parkes Research in Germany, France and the UK. For this purpose, 234 companies (80 of them in Germany) were surveyed and 3256 consumers (1028 of them in Germany) were interviewed.
