It’s a Digital Age – So Why is Direct Mail Still So Effective?

In the age of the Internet, direct mail should be dead – and yet not only does it survive, it appears to be flourishing.

In 2015, a neuromarketing study by the U.S Postal Service Office and Temple University found that direct mail is more likely than digital media to engage consumers. Consumers interacting with direct mail had a better recall of what they’d seen and were more likely to make a purchase than consumers interacting with email and other forms of digital marketing.

So why is direct mail outperforming email?

Part of it is the novelty of direct mail. According to a Royal Mail MarketReach survey, 70% of UK consumers say they feel they receive too many emails. And there’s a security worry there too – while the consumer has very few worries about opening a piece of direct mail, unfamiliar emails are often still associated with the threat of viruses, malware and spyware.

It’s about the feeling that receiving mail gives a person too, with 56% of respondents to the Royal Mail’s survey saying “mail makes me feel valued”. Direct mail sticks around longer too, with RetailWire reporting that direct mail is kept, on average, for up to 17 days. During those 17 days, it’s more likely to make an impression.

But it doesn’t have to be one or the other – and in fact, research shows that direct mail is most effective when combined with digital communication such as an email or text. In fact, Royal Mail research has shown that 51% of consumers prefer companies to use a combination of mail and email to communicate with them.

We’re big believers in the power of direct mail – but only when it’s used to its full potential. Designed, produced and delivered correctly, direct mail stands on its own two feet in a digital world. Find out more about how we’re making direct mail  work in the digital age.

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In the Internet Age, direct mail is continuing to thrive – but why is it still so effective?

Direct mail started life as a way to reach remote and rural customers who had limited access to brick-and-mortar stores. By ordering via direct mail, they were able to flex their buying power from hundreds of miles away. But today, with a WiFi connection in what seems like every home, direct mail is still managing to make its mark.

In fact, a 2015 study by the U.S Postal Service Office and Temple University found that consumers are more likely to engage, recall and buy from direct mail than they were from digital media.

However, research shows that direct mail is at its most effective when it’s combined with digital communication or marketing – like emails and texts. According to a Royal Mail study, just over half (51%) of people say they  prefer it when companies use a combination of mail and email to communicate with them.

As either a consumer or a professional, what do you think goes into a truly show-stopping direct mail campaign?