Attitudes toward email marketing have improved over the past four years: Consumers delete fewer promotional email messages without reading them and are more likely to forward such messages to others, according to a report by Forrester Research.

Negative behaviors toward email have declined. Specifically, consumers...

• Delete fewer messages without reading: 59% of consumers say they delete most email messages without reading them, down from the 63% who said so in 2008 and the 73% who said so in 2006.
• Integrate email promotions and personal email: Just 10% of consumers say they have a separate email account they use just for receiving email advertising, down from the 15% who said so in 2008.
• Forward promotional email slightly more often: 12% of consumers say they sometimes forward promotional email to others, up from the 10% who said so in 2008, and 9% who said so in 2006.
• Are nearly as apt to buy: The percentage of consumers who often buy things advertised via email has hovered at roughly 5% for the past four years. In 2006, 5% of consumers said they often buy things advertised via email. That level rose slightly to 6% in 2008 and dropped to 4% in 2010.

Consumers tend to fluctuate about email's value for product information. In 2006, 22% of consumers said email offers are a great way to find out about products and promotions. That level increased to 27% in 2008, but dropped to 17% in 2010.