E-mail marketing still packs a punch.

You may think the punch is gone from e-mail, that spam has killed it and that it doesn't work anymore.

A new study from Forrester, entitled, "Email Marketing Comes of Age," reveals some unusual findings that shed new light on what is happening in the inbox these days.

"There has been a lot of concern that e-mail has lost its effectiveness because it has not grown rapidly, but the aggressive interest in e-mail has only normalized," Ms. VanBoskirk, the study's author said. "It should not be a concern that it's lost its effectiveness, it is still very powerful. It's just that it's become like direct mail, which is still an effective marketing tool, but people aren't as excited about it."

Here's the good news:

* E-mail Consumers Spend More, Buy More Impulsively

** Consumers who buy products through e-mail spend 138% more online than those who don't,

** Those who do spend more impulsively than those who don't

* E-mail is Universally Used and Click Rates Hold Steady

** 97% of consumers use e-mail and 94% of marketers use it, giving the channel almost universal penetration.

** Click-through rates have averaged a steady 5% since 2003

** Almost a third of online consumers maintain positive attitudes toward e-mail promotions

* Forwarding promotions is popular with women

** Three in five people who forward e-mail to their friends are women,

** Consumers 18 to 34 years old are the demographic segment most likely to maintain an e-mail box just for promotional messages

Here's the tough stats:

* Competition for mindshare in the Consumer's InBox is getting harder:

** 77% of those surveyed in the third quarter of 2006 said they receive too many e-mail offers and promotions compared to 44% in 2000

** 72% of those surveyed in the third quarter of 2006 said they delete most e-mail advertising without reading it compared 31% in early 2000

** 22% in the third quarter of 2006 agreed with the statement that e-mail is a great way to find out about new products and promotions, compared to 48% in 2000

** 13% in the third quarter of 2006 said they read most e-mail ads to see if something catches their eye compared to 48% in early 2000

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