Consumers and Marketers Adapting to Imageless Email Delivery
Epsilon Interactive’s Commissioned Study with GfK NOP Reveals Majority of Email Users Willing and Able to View Initially Suppressed Images from Permission-Based Marketers
NEW YORK, NY.— September 12, 2006 — Epsilon Interactive, a leading provider of strategic, ROI-focused email communications solutions and marketing automation technologies, today announced findings from its first consumer survey with GfK NOP on default image suppression.  The July 2006 study reveals that a majority of American email users (65%) have encountered default image suppression – where email messages arrive in their inboxes without their images initially displayed – but most (69%) know how to activate suppressed images, and more than 94% do so at least occasionally.

For email marketers these findings are especially important as major ISPs and Email Clients including Microsoft’s WindowsLive Mail (which is slated to replace MSN and Hotmail within the next year) prepare to adopt default image suppression.  These expected policy shifts, coupled with last month’s ratification of default image suppression as an ISP industry best practice by the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group and the Anti-Phishing Working Group, increases the likelihood that marketers’ messages will arrive in inboxes without images displayed. Following email delivery best practices, recruiting customers to identify trusted senders, and implementing tactics to accommodate image suppression will soon become critical to email marketers’ efforts to thrive and grow in this new inbox environment.

Additional highlights from the research include:

• Willingness To Activate Images Varies By Message Type and Sender
• 90% at least sometimes activate images in email they receive from their friends and family.
• 69% at least sometimes activate images in statements or order information from senders they buy from.
• 57% at least sometimes activate images in promotional messages from senders they buy from or have accounts with, or from senders to whom they’ve given their permission to send them email.
• 31% at least sometimes activate images in promotional messages from senders whom they have not given permission to send email, but whose names they recognize and trust.
• 16% at least sometimes activate images in promotional messages from senders whose names they don’t recognize, but whose contents or offers interest them.

“Even as more consumers experience default image suppression, the majority are capable and willing to activate images in permission-based communications that they value,” said Al DiGuido, president & CEO, Epsilon Interactive.  “This latest trend reinforces the growing importance of building timely, relevant email communications that are anticipated, welcomed and valued by consumers.  In addition it highlights the growing importance of education and creative design in optimizing the rendering and response to email communication efforts in an evolving marketplace.”

Given the importance of the issue, Epsilon Interactive has developed a corresponding white paper and webinar entitled “Demystifying Default Image Suppression.” To request a copy of the research and/or white paper, email Peter Girard at pgirard@epsilon.com.  To pre-register for the webinar, taking place on October 4, 2006, visit: http://www.epsiloninteractive.com/webinars/img_suppression.html.

About Epsilon
Epsilon is a leading provider of multi-channel marketing services, technologies and database solutions. Through its combination of client-centric marketing solutions, Epsilon helps leading companies understand, measure, manage and optimize their customer relationships. The organization's end-to-end suite of integrated services includes marketing strategy, creative, data, technology, analytics and distribution services to produce multi-channel marketing programs that generate measurable results throughout the customer lifecycle.

In September 2005 Epsilon acquired Bigfoot Interactive (now Epsilon Interactive), the leading provider of strategic, ROI-focused email communications solutions and marketing automation technologies. Epsilon Interactive now serves as Epsilon's key offering in the interactive marketing and communications space. Founded in 1969 Epsilon is an Alliance Data company.

For more information see www.epsilon.com.

###