There’s a new report out form Yesmail. The main conclusion is that in general, retailers are not ready for cross-channel integration.

They polled about 200 retailers at the Shop.org summit.

The report finds that nearly a third of retailers indicate that integrating email with other digital channels is a top priority for this year, but many are failing to properly collect consumers’ email addresses, which Yesmail refers to as “the most simple task of all”.

According to the company, before retailers can integrate email across channels, they must first master the basics of email marketing.

“Given the number and variety of modern marketing channels – like social media, mobile apps and native advertising – it’s no surprise that today’s retailers want to reach consumers by integrating email with every trending channel and new technology,” Yesmail says in the report. “As billions of consumers turn to popular digital avenues like social media and mobile, it’s only natural for brands to want to integrate emerging channels, technologies and platforms with their email marketing efforts. However, before they can do so, marketers must first master email basics.”

“When it comes to email capabilities – like collecting data, crafting email content and capturing results – retailers do not derive full value from the email channel,” it says. “Before retailers pursue integration, they must determine if their teams have mastered the basics of email marketing. Only then will brands be prepared to capitalize on cross-channel opportunities and successfully compete with those that have already done so.”

The study also found that half of brands don’t collect email addresses via social media or in-store. Meanwhile, 17% still fail to secure website visitors’ email addresses. Over two-thirds don’t collect consumers’ addresses when they interact with mobile apps.

You can find the full report here.

Images via Thinkstock, Yesmail