UPPER MONTCLAIR, N.J., March 5 /PRNewswire/ -- The Email Experience Council (eec), an organization of global professionals driving and defining email marketing and communications practices, today announced the results of an industry survey on the State of Email Metrics & Bounce Management. The in- depth report reveals a lack of standards around industry metrics, bounce data, definitions and bounce management practices. Collectively, these issues make it exceedingly difficult for senders to improve the marketing effectiveness of campaigns, properly manage their lists and maintain good reputations as legitimate email senders.

Developed under the leadership of the eec's Deliverability Roundtable chair Deirdre Baird, and Bounce Project Committee co-chair David Lewis, the eec worked with leading companies like Pivotal Veracity, StrongMail, Datran Media, e-Marketing Strategies, Listrak and ReturnPath to compile, complete and finalize the survey and white paper results. Surveys were sent to 329 Mailers and more than 25 Email Service Providers (ESPs) to assess the current state of email metrics and bounce management. The survey results are published in "The State of Email Metrics & Bounce Management" white paper and available for purchase at: www.emailexperience.org

"The white paper paints an alarming picture and should serve as a wake-up call to address the inability to define, calculate, view and act on key metrics," explained Deirdre Baird, eec Deliverability Roundtable Chair and Bounce Project Co-chair, President & CEO, Pivotal Veracity.

The following summarize the three key principal problem areas uncovered by the surveys.

Conflicting Metrics

Findings demonstrate a significant variance in how senders calculate key metrics such as delivery, open and click rates. The lack of consistency in calculating key performance metrics makes it impossible to establish industry benchmarks or compare results.

Inconsistent Bounce Data & Definitions

Inconsistency in bounce data provided by ISPs, corporate domains and other email receivers, and widespread industry disagreement on key bounce definitions remains a challenge. Getting standardized, accurate bounce data from ISPs was a top concern regarding deliverability.

Inadequate Bounce Management

Despite the ubiquity of email there is considerable confusion around one of the key processes effecting deliverability -- bounce management. Bounce management capabilities and visibility were often inadequate and varied widely. The survey confirmed that currently both Mailers and ESPs are unable to maximize the effectiveness of their campaigns by maintaining clean lists, retrying temporary failures and proactively managing their marketing practices.

Email continues to be the only direct marketing channel without a standardized set of metrics. The survey results validate the need for metrics as well as common definitions and uniform practices.

"These problems require an industry-wide commitment to establishing and enforcing standards, only then can we demystify the bounce process and ensure that senders are able to follow through with best practices," David Lewis, Bounce Co-chair and VP, StrongMail.

"In 2007, the eec has committed to driving the email channel forward by focusing on a few key yet significant initiatives like the Deliverability Roundtable's Bounce Project, or the List Growth and Qualities commitment to defining how to calculate the value of an email address. These eec original content reports, along with our ever growing community driven White Paper Forum will help facilitate an industry dialogue and consensus that will not only demonstrate the power of email, but also the way in which to effectively use this channel" Jeanniey Mullen, founder eec.