Most mothers who are multi-channel shoppers and have young children subscribe to up to five email newsletters from retailers, and their response to commercial email is mostly driven by price discounts from trusted brands, according to a new study reported on by Internet Retailer. The study found that 62.6 percent of mothers subscribe to 1-5 e-newsletters from retailers; 25 percent subscribe to 6-10; 5 percent subscribe to 11-15; and 4.2 percent subscribe to 16 or more. A key finding of the study is that many mothers are constantly multitasking to handle home and job duties, and are most likely to respond to emails that save them time and money.

Email service provider EmailLabs and e-marketer Lucid Marketing conducted the study last month, based on a survey of more than 700 respondents.

When asked their reasons for signing up, 86.6 percent of respondents cited coupons or price discounts; 69.4 percent signed up to find out what's on sale; 43.2 percent wanted to learn about new products; 41.1 percent said they wanted information relevant to them personally; 27.7 percent wanted information about special events; and 6.3 percent wanted to learn about the company.

The study found that email subject lines citing discount prices were the most effective at getting respondents to open email, far outstripping personalization attempts. Discounted price and free shipping in the subject lines were cited most as reasons for opening email: 72.5 and 60.1 percent, respectively. Inclusion of the consumer's or family member's name garnered 4.3 and 3.3 percent, respectively.