Direct Marketers Continue to Increase Online Budgets

According to a new survey from Direct magazine, 41 percent of direct marketers' marketing budgets are being allocated to online channels this year, and 57 percent of direct marketers plan to increase their online spend in 2006, eMarketer reports. Last year, marketers budgeted 75 percent for the traditional marketing channels, with only 59 percent allocated to old channels this year, the survey found. Online sales now account for 25 percent of total revenue for respondents, up from 20 percent last year, and online orders tend to be slightly more profitable than offline orders. Most of the budget for online is going to search engine marketing, analytics, and website customization.