Survey Shows Consumers More Likely to Open and Buy from CertifiedEmail

Goodmail Study Shows Consumers Overwhelmed with Email Often Delete Messages without Reading Them

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – April 21, 2008 – Goodmail Systems®, creator of CertifiedEmail™, the industry’s standard class of trusted email, today announced findings from a survey indicating many consumers are increasingly frustrated with the inability to differentiate real email messages and as a result often delete email messages without reading them.  Contrary to the case with regular email, CertifiedEmail messages, which are marked with a unique blue ribbon envelope icon indicating email message authenticity and legitimacy, show greater promise of being considered, read, and even purchased from than regular email.

Survey respondents were asked about their email management habits, and were then provided an explanation of CertifiedEmail, currently supported by seven of the top ten U.S. mailbox providers. Seventy two percent of respondents indicated that they favored the service, and 71 percent said they would be more likely to open an email affixed with the CertifiedEmail blue ribbon icon. Fifty-four percent of respondents said they were more likely to purchase from companies who sent email with such an icon (46 percent said they were no more likely). Fifty nine percent said that if given a choice they would sign up for email from companies that use CertifiedEmail.

“Marketers are looking for a way to visually differentiate email and to communicate to consumers that a message is authentic and from a company they have a pre-existing relationship with,” said David Atlas, senior vice president of worldwide sales and marketing. “Providing an immediate flag to a consumer at the inbox level that a message is authentic and from a company whose email they have opted-in for yield superior email marketing program metrics.”

Goodmail’s CertifiedEmail offers marketers from qualifying companies a premium class of trusted email providing benefits including assured 100% inbox delivery, the automatic rendering of links and images on default, and the visual marking of messages with the blue ribbon envelope icon. Case studies from retail, financial, travel, and media verticals indicate average lifts on email marketing metrics in the 15% - 35% range. This survey was the first attempt by Goodmail to differentiate the value of the CertifiedEmail icon itself, independent of CertifiedEmail’s other benefits.

The survey sampled 1100 users of the email services provided by AOL, Yahoo! and Comcast using the Zoomerang survey platform. The study looked at perceptions regarding inbound email and sought to characterize leading consumer tactics for dealing with email. Fifty six percent said “unwanted email” distracts them from email messages they want. When asked about various tactics for dealing with unwanted email such as spam filters and maintaining multiple email addresses, consumers said the number one strategy for dealing with too many unwanted emails was to simply delete messages without reading them.

Goodmail Systems makes CertifiedEmail™, the industry standard class of trusted email.  CertifiedEmail provides a safe and reliable means for consumers to easily identify authentic email messages from legitimate commercial and nonprofit email senders.  Each CertifiedEmail is sent with a cryptographically secure token that assures authenticity, and is marked in the inbox with a unique blue ribbon envelope icon, enabling consumers to visually distinguish email messages which are real and sent from email senders with whom they have a pre-existing relationship.  Available to email senders meeting strict standards for best practices and low complaint rates, it is the only class of email available that assures delivery of all opt-in email messages to the inbox, with links and images automatically rendered intact, yielding measurable improvements in email campaign effectiveness.  CertifiedEmail has been adopted by seven of the nation’s top ten email mailbox providers, and is in use by over 500 commercial brands, 200 government agencies, and many nonprofits.  It is supported in North America and Europe by a wide network of email platforms and service providers.  

Media Contacts

SHIFT Communications
Nicole Messier, Director
Telephone: 415-591-8448 | Email: goodmailPR@shiftcomm.com