The study introduces the concept of attitudes and its fundamentals, as well as how it revolvesaround the given attitude object, in this instance brands. Furthermore, it introduces thephenomena of email marketing and how it has evolved its consensual form that is mostcommon today, referred to as PEM (Permission-based email marketing) in this study.Conclusively explaining the important influences between these two as well as the researchgap in this given context. The final purpose of the paper is to explain the impact thatpermission-based email marketing has on brand attitude. The methodology of the study itselfutilized a cross-sectional approach with a self-completion questionnaire via a conveniencesampling through a web-based survey. The final sample consisted of 108 respondents thatwere deemed acceptable. The study concluded that entertaining content and informativecontent seemingly affects brand attitude positively, whereas the impact of frequency couldnot definitively be explained. Finally theoretical and practical implications of the results arediscussed, as well as limitations of the study and recommended future research.

Background: Permission-based email marketing relies on consumers' permission to receive marketing emails. This perspective of marketing offers a cost-effective way to engage with interested customers, offering personalised content and exclusive offers. Further, it influences purchasing behaviour and customer retention, emphasising the importance of trust in successful campaigns. However, research emphasises the necessity for further exploration into the impact of promotional emails on consumer attitudes and emotions.   Purpose: This research examines consumer attitudes toward permission-based emails from a Swedish perspective. Further, the study aims to explore how these attitudes influence brand loyalty.   Method: This study adopts a positivist approach, employing a deductive method and quantitative data collection. Data collection for this study was gathered through an online survey using a convenience sampling method. A total of 145 respondents contributed to the data set. The result is analysed using Structural equation modelling to understand relationships between several constructs.   Conclusion: This thesis's findings indicate a positive attitude toward Permission-based Email Marketing, with perceived personal relevance and current engagement being key predictors. A positive association between attitude towards permission-based email marketing and loyalty was determined. Contrary to prior literature, perceived privacy concerns and registration efforts were determined not to influence attitudes significantly. Collectively, the results emphasise the significance of personal relevance and engagement in shaping consumer perceptions of permission-based email marketing, ultimately enhancing brand loyalty.

Email marketing is not a new concept within marketing, it has been used by companies as a cost-effective way to incentives purchases for decades. However, during the past few years, there was a shift in the way email can be used. Today, it is also a way for companies to directly communicate with customers and through it create more long-term customer relationships. Previous research within the subject has had a focus on examining the effect of email marketing on purchases. However, with the new additional email practices, which have emerged in recent years, there is the need for studying email marketing from the perspective of the consumer. Since there are several conceptualizations of email marketing, this study adopts the definition where consumers’ consent to receiving the emails is a must, in other words permission-based email marketing. In addition, the study examines the influence of permission-based email marketing on consumers’ behaviors that go beyond purchases, namely the non-purchase behaviors. Thus, the purpose of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of how permission-based email marketing and relational factors influence consumers’ non-purchase behaviors. Moreover, the study aims to answer to the following research question: How does permission-based email marketing, aided by relational factors, influence consumers’ non-purchase behaviors? In order to answer the research question, a qualitative method was used, more specifically semi-structured interviews were conducted with young millennial consumers between the ages of 25 to 34. The results showed that different identified aspects of permission-based email marketing influence certain relational factors and ultimately the consumers’ engagement. However, a key factor is the consumer's own perception regarding what the emails from clothing retailers should contain in order to be relevant. Whether the email’s content is general or personalized, if the consumers perceive it as valuable and relevant, it will lead to increased customer satisfaction, perceived value, perceived brand competence, trust, commitment and loyalty. These relational factors can facilitate consumers’ non-purchase behaviors such as opening, reading, clicking on links and spreading positive word-of-mouth. However, the results also indicate factors, which contribute to less and more negative non-purchase behaviors. If consumers do not perceive to have given permission for receiving emails from a clothing retailer, they will respond by unsubscribing. Moreover, if consumers perceive to be receiving an excessive amount of emails, or if they deem the content irrelevant, they are more likely to delete, unsubscribe and spread negative word-of-mouth. The study resulted in a conceptual model, which illustrates the factors of both permission-based email marketing and relational factors and their influence on consumers’ non-purchase behaviors.