Data quality news

Never mind the quality...

Marketers value email as a marketing channel, but do not pay enough attention to email data quality issues, according to new research from Experian QAS.

Research published recently by B2B Marketing magazine, in conjunction with Experian QAS, showed that B2B marketers are failing to tackle the growing issue of erroneous or inaccurate email data.

The survey, conducted among the magazine's database of 20,000 executives, showed that, while 99% of respondents regard email data as either 'critical' or 'very important', less than a quarter of respondents believe their email data to be 'excellent' or 'good', and 77% have no idea how much inaccurate data was costing them each year.

Despite this apparent concern over the quality of their email data, only 40% of respondents said that they currently screen or validate email data collected for marketing purposes before using it, with 38% admitting that they don't, and a further 9% saying they did not know whether the data was screened or not.

Email is certainly appreciated as a marketing channel, with 50% of respondents saying that at least half of their marketing activity relies on the email channel, and 81% of respondents saying they believe the importance of email marketing data will increase in the future. Despite this, however, 52% said that they spend only a quarter of their budget on email activity.

To help companies improve the accuracy of their email data, Experian QAS has launched QAS Email Validate. The solution screens email addresses as they are collected, preventing errors from creeping into the email database. When an individual submits their contact details, QAS Email Validate corrects common errors and checks the address against dead domain names and malicious email addresses. If an address is flagged as invalid, it provides a number of suggested alternatives. This process ensures that good quality data is stored for future communications, and problems such as email bounces are minimised.

By confirming the accuracy of an email address at point of collection, you can:

• Improve customer service and perception by preventing inaccurate or incomplete contact information from impacting communication processes
• Achieve more effective email marketing and increase campaign conversion
• Increase the overall reliability of contact information in an organisations proprietary customer or prospect database
• Reduce time and resource wasted on manually correcting invalid email addresses
• Avoid lost revenue by boosting completion rates of website forms
• Protect brand image
• Maintain the integrity of contact data

"Email marketing is a big growth area, and a significant proportion of our clients' communications are now via this channel."

Says Experian QAS Managing Director, Stuart Johnston.

"However, even the most creative and carefully planned campaigns will produce poor results if the email can't get through to the recipient. As with all aspects of contact data, it's important not just to think of email addresses as isolated pieces of data. They play a crucial part in how an organisation engages with its customers, and the more accurate they are, the more valuable role they can play in customer acquisition and retention."

For further information on QAS Email Validation, register for our upcoming CDM seminar , or please complete the contact form below