But they are still scarce internationally, says Trish Dominy. 

In the UK we have seen a massive growth in usage of email lists over the past eight years, with many mailers – despite being hesitant initially – embracing the channel in abundance.  

This did arguably lead to a period where the online channel was overused, but alarm bells rang as the open rates declined and many list owners are now careful to manage the amount of third party emails their customers and prospects receive. Online growth has contributed to lower traditional direct mail spend, but volume is down due to a number of other factors, including the spiralling costs of sending a mailpiece, the drop-off in financial service mailings and mailers generally becoming more targeted in their approach. 

Smart marketers recognise that both channels (as well as telephone and text messaging) have a place in the new ‘media blended’ world. But can the international data market deliver lists with all the necessary contact details?

There are now significantly more multi-channel lists available in the UK both in the B2B and B2C markets. Access to customer data is also improving with many list owners appreciating the advantages of sharing this information. Not only does this ability to make more detailed selections and provide multi-channel contacts bring in more revenue, but it also allows the data owner’s own campaigns to become more targeted. If they share this information with non-competitive companies, they can learn a great deal more about their own customers in the process. This helps direct marketers to become more relevant and cuts wastage.

Despite this surge in popularity in the UK, international multi-channel lists still seem to be few and far between. Of the 60 or so most popular global lists, only around 12 currently have emails available. There are a number of reasons contributing to this:

Permissions – Complex laws for international email campaigns and the rules that apply at an individual country level are ever-changing and increasingly hard to keep up with. In many cases they can be applied differently depending on whether your data is B2B or B2C.  Very broadly speaking, third party opt-in for the vast majority of Europe now applies, with the exception of a small handful of countries.

Language, cultural and currency barriers – Even where the recipients are known English speakers, many may be offended by an English rather than a local language email appearing in their inbox.  Local level addressing customs and creative protocols also need to be considered, along with the practicalities of scheduling the campaigns to hit at the correct time in each country. This can be seen as a barrier to international online marketing and collection of multi-channel data. 

There are many international list sources no longer available and many mailers who are no longer active – the past few years have seen the closure of the European offices of Forbes Magazine and Business Week. Many US-based international mailers are now concentrating on domestic sales, so new names on their lists are reduced.

Despite the barriers, the demand for international multi-channel data is still stronger than the supply. It is the IT mailers – offering hardware and software solutions and peripherals – who could be seen as frontrunners of multi-channel marketing outside of the UK.   

Trish Dominy is list manager at RSA Direct – the UK partner within the Lists4Europe network. Email: trish.dominy@rsadirect.com