Sponsored Content WEBINAR: ELECTION 2008: E-mail Tips from a Political Insider   WEBINAR: Becoming the Illusionist: The Magic of Using "Brand" to Drive Response without Results Disappearing in the Process   WEBINAR: Score and Win Through Cooperation   TOOLS OF THE TRADE: Holiday's are prime-time for email marketing - maximize your ROI by getting to the inbox   ON DEMAND WEBINAR--MASTER CLASS: High Performance Online and Off-line Strategies for Large Scale Customer Acquisition   FREE WHITE PAPER - Direct Mail and the Internet Find any supplier you need - agencies, CRM, fulfillment, lists, e-commerce, paper, printers, telemarketing, and more. Featured Categories Lists and Data Telemarketing Database Marketing E-commerce Web Marketing Agency & Creative Services Print, Production & Paper Lists and Data Processing :: view all categories Get free access to more than 50,000 list data cards - one of the most comprehensive databases in the industry. >> Search Now DIRECT Buzz Blog Webinars Buyer's Guide Calculators JobZone ListFinder Promo Calendar Research Store E-Newsletters Print Magazine This Month in Direct Magazine Deal With It Direct had a full house for this year's list roundtable. Considering all the additional responsibilities on brokers' plates, that's impressive... See Full July Issue

Permission-based e-mail marketing makes consumers feel they are in control of their inboxes, according to a new survey from Merkle Inc.

A total of 88% of survey respondents said they feel mostly or completely in control of their inboxes--up nine points from 2004, the survey revealed.

In addition, the poll found that:
.
* Fifty-eight percent of respondents said they believe e-mail is a great way for companies to stay in touch, up from 45% three years ago.

* Half of the respondents made an online purchase in the previous year as a result of permission-based marketing - up three percentage points from one year ago.

The poll also found that e-mail can influence decision-making as 50% of respondents reported that a company that does a good job with e-mail influenced their decision to do business, up 6 percentage points from last year.

Just the same, e-mail can also close doors: About one-third (32%) have stopped doing business with at least one company as a result of poor e-mail marketing practices, the survey noted.
.
The poll surveyed 2,512 U.S. adults age 18 and over who check and/or send e-mail at least once a week.