E-mail marketers suffered a decline in response rates during the third quarter. According DoubleClick, the nemesis of network admins everywhere, Q3 2004 wasn’t so hot. Compared to Q3, 2003, 10.5% fewer… prospects… clicked the links in emailed messages.

DoubleClick surmises that prospects are “getting a bit desensitized.” Others cling to the possibility that end-users may be getting smarter.

E-mail marketers see one bright side: Those who actually click the links are much more likely to buy. Sales are up. Looks like they’re finally homing in on the real target: dumb email users.

See for yourself at DMNews.