By Erwin Busselot, Business Innovations & Solutions Director, Graphic Communications Group Ricoh Europe
Early last year my colleague John Blyth discussed what it takes to create a lasting trend. He shared Swiss Re Institute’s report on how habits can form between 18 and 254 days, with the average being 66 days.
The organisation went on to say the longevity of the pandemic had resulted in ‘fertile ground for new habit formation’.
Great Britain’s Joint Industry Committee for Mail (JICMail) agrees.
Its latest figures for July to September 2021 found that mail’s effectiveness at driving digital actions – a ‘new normal’ that surfaced a year ago – shows no sign of dissipating. It reported that mail drives 9% of consumers to advertiser websites, 6% to seek out new information about a brand online, and 5% to look up their account details.
Collaborative Marketing Club (CMS), in a study with Deutsche Post during the first year of the pandemic, also affirmed direct mail’s effectiveness in driving traffic – especially to e-commerce sites.
It stated the value of an order was 8% higher if the sale was originated by a printed piece of communication and the average return on advertising spend (ROAS) was 990%.
The average order conversion rate was 4.9%, with personalisation lifting this to 5.7%.
Direct mail is helping start new trends too.
According to JICMail it has, for the first time in Britain, triggered more smartphone and tablet engagement than phone calls. It was its distinct customer oriented creative content that was highly effective at prompting mobile usage. So, too, was the subject matter, with online banking, appointment related information, product notifications, and reminders driving interaction.
Programmatic direct mail is another growing trend, as certain actions (eg abandoned e-commerce shopping baskets) can trigger highly personalised direct mail, which will be digitally printed on demand. It helps to achieve additional sales, as about three quarters of shoppers leave a site without completing a purchase.
The latest JICMail figures showed volumes continued to increase as well. An 18% year on year lift was encouraged by a rebound in travel and tourism and telecoms sector activity. They also found that on average:
- Direct mail was interacted with 4.35 times and shared with 1.12 people per household.
- Door drops recorded an item reach of 1.05 people per household.
- Business mail was interacted with 4.76 times and shared with 1.17 people per household.
- Door drops were kept in the home for 5.7 days, direct mail 7.4 days, and business mail 9.1 days.
All these encouraging figures demonstrate the effectiveness of direct mail to connect with the recipient and prompt action.
