The best form of investment in email marketing is customer retention. I won’t bore you with the evidence for that simple statement as there is ample research available on the Internet. Accept it.

My wife was recently subject of an emergency operation. I decided to maintain my normal diet if only to generate a feeling of stability. I stuck with my once every three weeks order of fish and chips, which I phone through, and Martin, the owner of the shop, noticed my order was half its normal amount. I explained.

When picking up my order, Martin’s wife expressed her concern and said, ‘I’ve put a little extra in for you.’ When I opened the package I found it identical to our normal order. I was touched. Although there is a surreal aspect to it, she’d done the obvious thing to show her concern she could think of in the time available. There’s a lesson there for email marketing.

There’s no way I can go to another fish and chip shop and maintain my self-respect, yet it cost them little. It is much cheaper than acquiring new customers.

I crashed a model airplane into the ground at full chat, breaking the radio control circuit board and one servo. I returned all the radio gear to the manufacturer, explaining my rush of blood to the head, and received a brand-new set with a note to say that the company had been operating for nine years and I was the first owner to admit crashing a plane had caused the damage.

I told this story to the other members of the club and neither I, nor probably the manufacturer, was surprised to find a couple of members transferred their allegiance to them.

Although the figures vary to an extent, most commentators suggest that £1 pound spent in retention of subscribers to email marketing lists is worth around £6 spent gaining them. There are other aspects as well. Customer recommendation is probably the most valued guide when deciding to buy, at least off Amazon. If you want a recommendation for fish and chip shop, please contact me.