One-Fifth of Marketers Send Emails Even after Consumers Unsubscribe

Some 20% of top brand marketers continue to send additional emails to consumers, even after they confirm requests from those consumers to “unsubscribe” from an email marketing list, according to a research study from Return Path.

Though the study, “Keeping the Subscriber Experience Positive After ‘Unsubscribe Me,’” found that the majority (65%) of companies studied are handling the unsubscribe process in a straightforward and user-friendly way, it also discovered a significant percentage of marketers failing to promptly comply with user wishes to be removed from email lists.

Of the 20% of companies that sent more than one additional email after the opt-out request was received, many sent four or more additional messages, a practice that Return Path said could undermine customers’ relationships with the brand.