A survey of 123 marketers and 1,002 consumers on marketing practices and how they relate to permission has revealed a significant gap in perceptions regarding implicit permission (purchases, contents, product demos, registrations). The study, by RegReady, found that 77% of marketers believe that a consumer purchase does constitute marketing permission. But three-quarters of the consumers polled felt very strongly that making a purchase does not constitute permission to market to them on their mobile device, and 80% shared that sentiment about marketing via email. Still, 47% of marketers said they send email to purchasers without permission.
The study does show some agreement between marketers and consumers regarding marketing on mobile devices. 57% of marketers said they feel very strongly or strongly that consumers should give permission before they are marketed to on their mobile device, and 61% of consumers felt very strongly about that, too.
Interestingly, while the study shows that 57% of marketers polled believe that customers and prospects must give their permission before being marketed to, only 45% said they practice permission marketing.
Other Findings:
- B2B respondents were less likely than their B2C counterparts to believe that explicit permission is required for marketing.
- 7 in 10 consumers feel very or somewhat strongly that they give their permission before they can be marketed to via email.
- 58% of marketers feel very strongly or strongly that purchasing an opt-in email list is an acceptable practice, with B2B respondents more likely to feel that way.
About the Data: 54% of marketers responding were from B2B companies. 63% represented companies with less than $50 million in revenues. Almost 7 in 10 consumer respondents were female, and a plurality are aged 45-54 (23.5%).
