To avoid negative impressions, most vendors will play it safe and send out a plain text message the first time they email a customer, says William Park, CEO of Digital Impact. Mr. Park claims to have three times the click-through rate of less sophisticated mailers. We can track and analyze anything. Even minor variables such as the day of the week email is sent can be tracked to determine how to optimize future response rates. But analysts caution that the value of a click-through rate is still rather vague, because much depends on the product category and other variables.
Vendors ask the customer for an email address during an online purchase.
By checking an online box, the customer is offered a product update via email. Sometimes the emailers take a broad reading of the customer's permission and blur the distinction between their services and spam. For example, in some cases, the vendor may use the permission to sell unrelated and unsolicited products. In other cases, the customer's email address is sold to other marketers. Unlike some email companies, Digital Impact doesn't buy or sell lists.