E-mail Deliverability Drops in the U.S., Gains in the E.U.: Lyris

Gross deliverability rates—the percentage of permission-based e-mail reaching recipients inboxes and bulk folders combined—at U.S. Internet service providers dropped 6% to 86% in the first quarter of 2006 compared to the fourth quarter of 2005, according to e-mail service provider Lyris Technologies.

At the same time, European ISPs improved 8%, achieving a 94% gross deliverability rate in the first quarter of 2006, according to Lyris, which is expected to release these numbers today.

European ISPs also have lower false positive rates than their U.S. counterparts, according to Lyris. European ISPs blocked an average of 3.5% of valid messages while American ISPs blocked an average of 7.7%, according to Lyris.

Also, subscribers with one of the top 10 U.S. providers in terms of number of subscribers were 38% more likely to receive their permission-based e-mail in their inboxes than those who used one of the bottom 10.

According to Lyris, the company conducted the study by monitoring 55,717 permission-based e-mail marketing messages sent from 57 businesses and non-profit organizations to multiple accounts at 39 ISP and ESP domains in the U.S. and Europe.

Separately, Loren McDonald has been tapped by Lyris’ parent company, J.L. Halsey, to serve as VP and chief marketing officer. In this roll, McDonald will be responsible for the Wilmington, DE-based e-mail services and technology firm’s marketing, communication and branding efforts.

McDonald had been vice president of marketing for EmailLabs, an e-mail service provider J.L. Halsey acquired in October 2005. Before joining EmailLabs, he founded Intevation, an e-mail marketing services firm.