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In our technology-driven world, direct mail marketing is often thought of as old-fashioned and outdated, but recent research suggests it still has legs, and they’re stronger than you think. We share mail, look at it again and again and, most importantly, we remember it. When added to the marketing mix, direct mail can boost ROI by around 35%.
Not convinced? Let’s look at why it still works.
We still like to give, receive and handle tangible objects. Why? Because we’re human, and mail has an emotional effect on us. This effect is the reason that direct mail is making a comeback. According to a 2024 survey, 70% of consumers said receiving physical mail made a more lasting mental impression on them compared to digital communication. In addition, 62% said that postcard‐style mail made them feel more valued and created a stronger, more authentic relationship with the sender. Even millennials, despite living on iPhones and tablets, respond: 45% of people under 30 reported that they look forward to checking their mail, and 92% said they have a positive reaction when they receive personal cards or letters.
Addressed advertising mail has a reach of 1.2. This means that, on average, for every 100 items of mail received, 20 are shared.
On average, addressed advertising mail is revisited 4.2 times because mail stays in the home on average for 6.8 days, and 27% of mail stays in the home for over 4 weeks.
31% of addressed mail leads to a commercial action, and 70% of people are driven online as a result of receiving mail.
We are regularly overwhelmed by inboxes cluttered with marketing emails – and we regularly ignore them all. This has made us much more receptive to direct mail and has led to it becoming the top channel for direct response. In fact, the Data & Marketing Association (DMA) found that direct mail achieves a 4.4% response rate, compared to 0.12% for email. And, overall, direct mail’s response rates are actually anywhere from 5 to 9 times higher than those of digital channels.
So, is it time to ditch the digital? No! Technology helps us to determine who our customers are, where they are and what they want. So, combining the old marketing strategies with the newer ones, like live streaming, is the best way to reach your customers.
Set up by the DMA, Royal Mail, ISBA, IPA and Whistl, JICMAIL provides data for mail. It can measure the number of people reached, the number of times viewed and how long it’s kept at home. And it can do that for every single item that comes through the letterbox.
This data is captured by following each piece of mail for 4 weeks in a nationally representative sample of 1,000 households per quarter.
JICMAIL can be accessed through all key media-planning tools such as Telmar, Choices and IMS. And a new Insight Engine from Royal Mail can help businesses understand the performance of mail in their sector, the performance of mail for a specific target audience, or for both.
Direct mail isn’t dead; it’s more powerful when paired with digital. At Bombora, we help brands connect the dots between tactile campaigns and cutting-edge strategies like live streaming and video content. Whether you’re boosting ROI through integrated mail or crafting multi-channel storytelling, we build campaigns that feel personal and perform.
Ready to modernise your marketing mix? Talk to us about blending direct mail with digital impact.