Despite Buzz, E-Mail Still Trumps Social Media for Promo Info

A new CrossView survey examined shopper promotion preferences across channels in a report that surveyed 160 shoppers across four states €“ North Carolina, Ohio, Illinois and -Kansas €“ from April 23-27, 2010.

When surveyed, 35% said they were shopping due to a recently received promotion from a retailer. Of those who did not receive a promotion, 68% said they would have been more likely to visit a store if they had been given one.

"The survey findings reinforce how important promotions are in influencing consumer purchasing decisions," says Mark Fodor, CEO at CrossView. "It also shows that delivery methods and consumer preferences are across the board, which means that retailers need to be able to communicate brand, product and promotional messaging consistently across channels."

The final results showed that respondents' preferred methods of receiving retail information were:

> 37% E-Mail
> 23% Mailer
> 18% Text
> 11% In-Store
> 9% Social Media
> 3% Other (TV, Street Sign, Website, Newspaper, etc.)

The survey showed a significant consumer preference for receiving promotions via email (37%) as opposed to other methods of delivery. Social media, considered by many retailers as the next wave of consumer communication, ranked nearly last with 9%.

Fodor adds, "Consumers have very definite ideas of how they want to receive promotional materials. Regardless of which technologies are 'hot,' shoppers expect to navigate between channels based on convenience and personal preference."

The shoppers also indicated willingness to receive other types of communications from retailers: 39% said they would like to receive new product information, 16% requested store opening/closing notices, and 12% stated they would like to receive discounts/coupons.

Respondents were 64% female and 36% male. For additional CrossView retail studies and whitepapers, visit www.crossview.com.