Firms still need to focus on email marketing as a way of engaging with consumers as more than a third of people (38 per cent) do not use a social networking site such as Facebook, new research from Econsultancy has found.
The survey, entitled How We Shop in 2010: Habits and Motivations of UK Consumers, also found that only six per cent of internet users had asked for recommendations on a social media site.
More than a third of consumers (36 per cent) said that receiving an email had prompted them to make an online purchase and 27 per cent stated that an email had encouraged them to make an offline investment.
Linus Gregoriadis, Econsultancy's UK research director, said: "Despite the rise of
social media, the role of the email channel is secure.
"Email is extremely effective as long as companies are targeted and relevant when communicating with consumers."
Furthermore, 61 per cent of consumers preferred to receive advertising messages via email compared to 28 per cent who said post and five per cent who stated social networking sites.
Facebook signed up its 500 millionth user yesterday (July 21st) and it is thought that 26 million of these are from the UK.
