Analysis of 2013 Electoral Register opt-out shows continued fall in numbers
Continuing to lead the market in the collection, capture and consolidation of the Electoral Register, Callcredit Information Group has today released early opt-out figures which illustrate a slight reduction in the number of individuals deciding to opt out from the Electoral Register. Interim analysis of opt-out rates by councils across the UK has highlighted an average opt out rate of 40 per cent.
The interim analysis highlights of the 46m UK records held 18m consumers have taken the decision to opt-out of the Edited Register, this also means they are effectively making themselves unavailable to marketers and the wider benefits of being included on it can bring.
|
Year |
Overall Average Opt Out Rate |
Average Year On Year Increase |
|
2013 |
40% |
-1% |
|
2012 |
41% |
-4% |
|
2011 |
45% |
-1% |
|
2010 |
46% |
2% |
|
2009 |
44% |
4% |
|
2008 |
40% |
3% |
|
2007 |
37% |
5% |
|
2006 |
32% |
3% |
|
2005 |
29% |
3% |
|
2004 |
26% |
4% |
|
2003 |
22% |
- |
Over all the fall in opt-out rates has started to even out showing only a steady drop of one per cent in the last twelve months across each of the 364 councils, compared to last year's average drop of four per cent.
Chris Savage, Managing Director, Callcredit Information Group - Marketing Solutions division said: "Even though the number of those choosing to opt out is reducing, the fact remains that there is still a large proportion of consumers who are effectively eliminating themselves from the positive impact of being registered on the Edited Register."
For those marketers who only use electoral data for direct marketing campaigns the opt-out rate can have a detrimental effect on reaching those potential customers effectively. Fortunately there are other ways a marketer can obtain vital direct marketing data to bridge the opt-out gap. Callcredit's Define database being one of them, it contains more individuals with more contact 'touch-points' than any other consumer dataset in the marketplace, delivering the highest volume of data for building mailing lists, email lists, SMS lists and landline volumes.
Chris added: "There is a common misconception that the Edited Register is only used for direct marketing purposes. It is in fact used for a whole range of services relied upon by consumers and businesses such as ID verification, anti fraud measures. It is therefore important that the public are aware of the benefits of being on the Edited Register before deciding whether to opt out."
