Being online is nowadays associated with being active in social media and social networks. This is at least what the current trend report "The Digital Marketer 2012" of Experian Marketing Services says, which is based on data collected in the United States.

According to the report, 91% of adults who browse the Internet are at the same time active and regular users of Facebook, Twitter & Co., which has a direct impact on companies’ e-mail marketing: Around 94% of the marketing decision makers have already intensively thought about activities in mobile marketing and social media - two communication channels that are tied directly to the e-mail channel. In any case, many marketers want to increase their activities in e-mail marketing (61%), social advertising (53%), and mobile apps (47%).

Thus, the most important communication tool for marketing executives still remains the e-mail, with more than half of all respondents stating that it is the most used tool in their customer communications. And indeed, a recent study by Forrester, stated a kind of similar result, reporting that e-mail is the most effective channel to address existing customer relationships and that operating e-commerce companies should focus more on search engines and e-mail marketing, rather than on social media marketing.

Mashable described the phenomenon in one of their articles as follows: „ Direct visits, organic search and paid search are the two biggest drivers of purchases from new customers, accounting for 39% of new customer transactions. That’s because the web continues to be a useful tool for what Forrester calls “spear fishers” — consumers who know what they are looking for and find it through search. For repeat shoppers, e-mail is the most effective sales influencer: Nearly a third of purchases from repeat customers initiated with an e-mail. As such, businesses should collect e-mail addresses, and tailor their e-mail marketing messages to each recipient’s device and prior purchase behavior… Social networks may one day figure out a way to drive more purchases, but for now, retailers seeking higher sales conversions should concentrate on the products that have long performed for them — search and e-mail marketing — as well as in the marketing of their URLs.”

A summary of the mentioned Forrester report consists of three key points:

• Email and direct traffic matter for frequent customers: 30% of transactions by repeat customers start with an email from the retailer, and an additional 30% type the retailer’s URL directly into a browser.
• Multiple platforms influence many buyers: While 33% of transactions by new customers involve more than one trackable touch point, 48% of repeat customers visit multiple trackable touch points. The most popular platforms include organic search, paid search, and email.
• Social tactics are not meaningful sales drivers: 48% of consumers reported that social media posts are a great way to discover new products, brands, trends, or retailers, but less than 1% of transactions could be traced back to trackable social links. Thus, Forrester research recommends sticking to e-mail marketing.

By MediaBUZZ