Connected Households Still Prefer Regular Mail (NAPSA)—Thelure ofelectronic roail draws headlines, but recent surveys showthat many consumers stil prefer traditional mail. According to a pair of surveys —conducted in March 1999 and February 2001-—the preferencefor traditional mail has not been affected by e-mail, even though the number of households with electronic access jumped from 34 percent to 53 percent in the two- year period. Among the housebolds surveyed, 93 percent said they prefer traditional mail when receiving financial documents and information. In addition, the preference for regular mail continued in categories such as product announcements and promotional mailings (73 percent in 2001 vs. 77 percent in 1999). This ongoing reliance on traditional mail becomes more understandable when you take into account the fact that 76 percent of the audience considers regular mail more secure than e-mail. Only 11 percent considered e-mail to be more secure. Also, even in this age of fast computers and modem connections, regular mail is considered less time-demanding. Sixty-two percent of respon- dents indicated that getting and opening their regular mail is faster than retrieving their e-mail. Given the importance and expense that businesses associate with customer relationship management programs, a new question was added to the 2001 survey. When asked which type of commnuvication they are bkely to discard unopened, respondents reported that 66 percent of unsolicited emails are never read, compared with just 26 percent of regular, The convenience of e-mail doesn’t outweigh the security consumers feel with the traditional mall delivery method. promotional mail. “There’s a message revolution going on in the United States,” observed Tim Bates, vice presi- dent, marketing, Pitney Bowes Mailing System, which commissioned the surveys. “Messazeval- umes keep climbing, and, when corapared to e-mail, regular mail is winning the vote of American househelds. Mail is universal, it does not require special training or hardware, it is secure and personal, and it is the easiest and mest effective marketing tool that businesses can use when communicating with customers.” Pitney Bowes is a #4 billion global provider of integrated mail and document managementsolu- tions, headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. The company serves more than two million businesses of all sizes in more than 130 countries through dealer and direct operations. For additional information, visit their Web site at www.pitneybowes.com.
