Marketers to increase online direct spend as mail loses out

Only 14% of UK marketers are planning to increase their spend on direct mail this year, while 90% are planning to increase their spend on online direct marketing, according to new research from Alterian.

The data analysis software company conducts an annual survey of marketing professionals in North America and the UK.

This year’s survey reveals that direct mail is set to be much more popular in North America than the UK: while 50% of US marketers overall plan to increase their spend on the medium, in the UK only 14% of marketers plan to do so.

North American marketers are slightly less keen to increase online spend: overall, 85% of marketers plan to do so compared with 90% in the UK.

In the UK, the majority of marketers do not integrate email with other channels: 64% do not and 36% do. The picture in the US is very similar.

Almost 40% of UK marketers reported difficulty integrating email marketing activity with the customer database.

Only 28% carry out full analysis of email campaigns and 72% apply basis or no analysis.

David Eldridge, chief executive of Alterian, said: “The 2006 survey shows a well-defined shift in spending and activity.”