E-mail marketing is exactly what the name indicates: it is when one advertises ones product and communicates ones ideas by sending e-mails to prospective clients. The purpose is that of normal advertising: to acquire a larger client base and to enhance the relationship and strengthen loyalty between company and client. One will find that companies often attach conventional advertisement documents to e-mails in order to convey the business' message. Millions of rands are spent every year on e-mail marketing, because in todays technological society, it is one of the most effective methods of getting ones company known.

The main advantage of e-mail marketing is the large amount of people it can reach, because unlike poster or magazine advertising, e-mail adverts are directed towards individuals instead of random groups. It is also a much more economic way to make ones business known, because printing and spreading costs are drastically reduced.