Spam Success Surges (or, Jordan's Worst Nightmare)

Marshal polled 622 internet users, of which 29.1 per cent admitted to having purchased items through links in spam emails. The most frequently ordered items were sexual enhancement pills, adult entertainment, software and luxury items including watches, jewellery and clothing.

A report from Forrester Research in 2004 demonstrated that one fifth of internet users had bought products through spam. Marshal's vice president of products, Bradley Anstis, claimed that spam response rates were considerably higher than people realised.

There is one other interesting point made in the study. It notes that the industry consensus is that less than one in a million emails leads to a sale (actually, the report says ten in ten million, but I don't see why that shouldn't be reduced), but that number is somewhat misleading, because so much spam is caught in filters. So, the percentage of spams that get through and lead to a sale is much, much higher.