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Results of a recent Direct Marketing Association study found that e-mail is one of the most effective tools for Web marketers.

The same results indicated that direct and interactive marketing companies are well-informed about consumers' privacy concerns, and, therefore, place greater emphasis on targeted e-mail communications.

According to the study:

* 92% of respondents indicated that they do not send unsolicited commercial e-mail

* 79% of Web marketers reported using in-house e-mail lists and the majority, 88% reported that they maintain their e-mail lists in-house

* 75% of DMA members and non-members revealed that they do not rent permission-based e-mail lists

* a median 10% of respondents' online marketing budgets will be used for e-mail marketing in 2000

* small companies designate a higher percentage of their online marketing budget for e-mail marketing 15%, medium sized companies 7.5% and large 10%.

* 38% of marketers reported having an in-house e-mail newsletter

* of respondents targeting their Web site to consumer segments 49% were more likely to have an in-house e-mail newsletter than B-to-B or multi-segment marketers

* 55% of respondents across all segments indicated e-mails to customers and site visitors were a top online promotion method used to drive traffic to their Web sites (topped only by search engine positioning, at 66%)

"Increasingly, Web marketers are finding that e-mail promotions to customers and site visitors not only drive traffic, but are more effective as customer acquisition and retention tools," said DMA president H. Robert Wientzen. "Yet, there is also a general acceptance among those marketers that a greater emphasis on privacy will help build consumer confidence and loyalty."

The study was conducted by the DMA in cooperation with the Association for Interactive Media (AIM) and the Internet Alliance (IA