BOSTON, Sept. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Experian Data Quality, a leading provider of data quality software and services, today announced the release of The 2015 Email Data Quality Report. The study finds that while email remains a popular communication channel for the majority of companies, many struggle to maximize use of this channel due to poor data management practices. The majority of organizations face challenges around customer email address collection, message deliverability and message interaction because of poor email database management processes and an incomplete customer view.

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The study, in which more than 200 individuals with email program knowledge were interviewed, found that most companies fail to maximize and properly measure their email marketing efforts. Ninety-one percent of companies collect customer and prospect email addresses, but 92 percent feel they could improve the interaction with their email subscribers.

There are a number of areas businesses should look at to improve email communications. The data finds:


    --  Ninety-two percent of companies face challenges when collecting email
        addresses, the biggest being human error.
    --  The biggest way companies feel they could improve their emails for
        enhanced subscriber interaction is through increased personalization.
    --  Only 16 percent of companies say they have achieved a single customer
        view. The most difficult challenges related to that area are linking
        different technologies, a lack of relevant technology and poor data
        quality.

"Companies continue to rely on email to communicate with customers in a meaningful way and drive business. However, the majority of businesses are not maximizing this channel," said Thomas Schutz, senior vice president and general manager of Experian Data Quality. "There are very simple ways that companies can improve their email marketing program to make a big impact on their business, most of which actually have to do with data quality. Currently, most businesses do not have a consistent way of maintaining their email database or incorporating personalization techniques into their emails. That means they are facing deliverability challenges and a smaller number of customers interacting with their messages. By making simple changes to data quality practices, email marketers can have not only a better email database to send messages to, but also better analytics for segmentation and personalization."

To obtain a copy of Experian Data Quality's 2015 Email Data Quality Report, please visit https://www.edq.com/white-papers/email-data-quality-trends/.

About Experian Data Quality

Experian Data Quality is a global leader in providing data quality software and services to organizations of all sizes. We help our clients to proactively manage the quality of their data through world-class validation, matching, enrichment and profiling capabilities. With flexible software-as-a-service and on-premise deployment models, Experian Data Quality software allows organizations around the world to truly connect with their customers by delivering intelligent interactions, every time.

Established in 1990 with offices throughout the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific, Experian Data Quality has more than 13,500 clients worldwide in retail, finance, education, insurance, government, healthcare and other sectors. For more information, visit https://www.edq.com.

About Experian

We are the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to our clients around the world. We help businesses to manage credit risk, prevent fraud, target marketing offers and automate decision making.

We also help people to check their credit report and credit score, and protect against identity theft. In 2015, we were named by Forbes magazine as one of the "World's Most Innovative Companies."

We employ approximately 17,000 people in 38 countries and our corporate headquarters are in Dublin, Ireland, with operational headquarters in Nottingham, UK; California, US; and Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Experian plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Total revenue for the year ended March 31, 2015, was US$4.8 billion.

To find out more about our company, please visit http://www.experianplc.com or watch our documentary, "Inside Experian."

Experian and the Experian marks used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Experian Information Solutions, Inc. Other product and company names mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.

Contact:

Erin Haselkorn
Experian Data Quality Public Relations
1 617 385 6700
erin.haselkorn@experian.com

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SOURCE Experian Data Quality