Small firms should adopt ‘professional sounding' email addresses, Easily.co.uk says. The webhosting firm asked more than 1,500 consumers if they preferred fictional email address sales@londonplumbing .com or londonplumbing@hotmail.com.

Some 88 per cent plumped for londonplumbing.com, as it suggested to them a more professional and trustworthy organisation. Younger consumers were more likely to have this attitude, with 95 per cent of 16-24 year olds preferring a domain specific address.

Jonathan Robinson, director of business development at Easily, said: “Email is an extension of a company’s online presence, so it is unsurprising to find that consumers expect a professional business website to be complemented by domain name specific email addresses.

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