• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, August 17, 2021

Email marketers who work on cart abandonment must be doing a good job: consumers find their emails more effective than messages in other channels, according to a new study from Wunderkind, conducted by Savanta. 

To begin with, 51% of consumers say the most effective marketing channel overall is — email. Text is next, with 38%. And 45% are more open to text emails and texts from brands

Text is followed by in-app communications (23%), live chat/instant message (22%), pop-up notification (18%), customer service assistant (17%) and Zoom or video call (7%). 

When asked what gets them to actually buy, consumers cite:

• Email notifications about items in their shopping cart that have been discounted — 37%
• Text message alerts on price drops for items looked at before — 33%
• Email reminding them about items in their shopping cart that that they have not yet purchased — 26%.

But it’s not all good news: The study also found that 37% consumers have had ads follow them online for products they already bought.  

In addition, 65% believe communications from retailers/brands lack a personal touch. 

Moreover, 65% often receive product/service recommendations that are not relevant. And 29% feel bombarded by irrelevant messaging from brands. 

“Even established retailers risk turning away shoppers who feel frustrated by excessive ads and retargeting,” states Ryan Urban, CEO of Wunderkind. “Bottom line is that consumers don’t want to feel followed around the web by brands, rather, they want to feel that brands truly understand and serve them with the right personalized message at the right time.”

Meanwhile, 58% are influenced by consumer-generated content — i.e., reviews and ratings—when purchasing online. And 47% watch, listen and read consumer branded content before deciding to purchase.  

In general, 64% confirmed they are mostly depending on online shopping, and 52% plan to continue post pandemic. Almost 59% are open to trying new brands, while 51% say their brand loyalty increased during the COVID-19 pandemic

Urban concludes that consumers “naturally judge brands based on the quality of their products and services, as well as how they interact with consumers throughout the lifetime of the relationship. Personalization and thoughtfulness is key to creating meaningful, lasting engagements.”