NiTSAK

E-mail marketing (or Bulk Email) is a form of direct marketing which uses electronic mail as a means of communicating commercial or fund-raising messages to an audience. In its broadest sense, every e-mail sent to a potential or current customer could be considered e-mail marketing. Researchers estimate that United States firms alone spent US $400 million on e-mail marketing in 2006.

E-mail marketing (on the Internet) is popular with companies for several reasons:

• An exact return on investment can be tracked ("track to basket") and has proven to be highly substantial when done properly. E-mail marketing is often reported as second only to search marketing as the most effective online marketing tactic.
• Advertisers can reach substantial numbers of e-mail subscribers who have opted (i.e. consented) to receive e-mail communications on subjects of interest to them. Over half of Internet users check or send e-mail on a typical day.
• E-mail is popular with digital marketers, rising an estimated 15% in 2009 to £292m in the UK.
• E-mail allows marketers to reach out to consumers with personalised, relevant, dynamic messages. Transactional e-mails allow businesses to respond automatically to important consumer events like purchases or shop-cart abandonment.
• Email is therefore inexpensive, instant and easy to track.