Younger people are more receptive to free products or discount offers than any other age group, according to a consumer survey by Epsilon.

It was discovered that 66 per cent of the UK's 18 to 25-year-olds respond to subject lines on emails which include an offer for a free product or discount, whereas only 33 per cent respond to breaking news, general information or product announcements from similar sources.

Richard Wright, the marketing manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Epsilon International, explained that there is a growing belief in email marketing, though it also marks a jump in business confidence.

He continued: "Email marketing has held its own during this financial downturn and marketers have recognised the advantage of the channel's measurability and cost effectiveness whilst their budgets have shrunk."

Mr Wright concluded that when comparing such systems to "many other weapons in the marketing arsenal", email consistently delivers return on investment and has become a central part of advertising campaigns.

In a recent survey of SMEs for Connect, the two most important benefits of outsourcing were guaranteed response times and allowing in-house IT staff to concentrate on more strategic issues.