Brief: Subscription leads to Satisfaction, or Vice Versa

The Bigfoot Interactive OmniTel telephone survey, conducted by NOP World Research across adult Americans with home internet access and a personal credit card, examines consumers' perceptions, interests and satisfaction of email communications from their credit card issuers. What it finds is that there is a 'direct and positive impact on customer satisfaction, future purchase intent and the likelihood of recommending credit card issuers to others'.

Respondents who currently subscribe/receive email showed higher satisfaction rates (94%) than general respondents and displayed a higher likelihood to recommend and purchase additional products from their primary credit card issuer. Nearly eight in ten consumers who subscribe/receive email communications agreed that they are likely to recommend their credit card issuer to others, 78% vs. 69% of general credit cardholders. In addition, nearly four in ten (39%) of adults who currently subscribe/receive email communications agreed they were interested in purchasing additional products from their primary credit card company vs. 29% of general credit card respondents.

Those that currently subscribe/receive email communications conveyed stronger overall satisfaction rates than general respondents when asked whether they agreed that their credit card company respects their privacy (89% vs. 81%) and preferences (85% vs. 77%).

What we don't get is any analysis that reveals whether signing up is a sign of commitment to an issuer, or whether the commitment results from the ensuing communication. If the former, we would expect a more positive attitude from subscribers... it certainly wouldn't be a reason to start mailing your unsuspecting customers.

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