Study: Direct Mail Matters In Connected World

Direct Mail

July 11, 2013 -- New research into consumers’ attitudes towards direct mailings reveals that 79% of consumers surveyed act on brands’ direct mailings immediately, demonstrating the continuing power of print.

The finding is reported in From Letterbox to Inbox 2013, an attitudinal print tracking study of 1,232 UK adults conducted by the UK Direct Marketing Association (DMA) and by consumer research firm fast.MAP and sponsored by HP.

According to the findings, consumers regard direct mail and other printed communications as being essential to their overall experience of brands of which they’re customers or in which they’re interested.

DIRECT MAIL TRIGGERS AN ONLINE RESPONSE
 

• The survey found there was a 10% greater percentage of consumers who visited a brand’s website in response to direct mail than responded to an email.

• The top three actions consumers take after receiving direct mail from a brand they’re interested in:
   

  • 44% visit a brands’ website

  • 34% search online for more information about the product

  • 26% keep the mailing for future reference.

DIRECT MAIL VIEWED AS TRUSTWORTHY
 

• Respondents highlighted the essential role direct mail plays within their lives as consumers, with 56% saying they found printed marketing to be the “most trustworthy” of media channels.

DIRECT MAIL IS RETAINED FOR FUTURE REFERENCE
 

• Nearly half of those surveyed (48%) said they had retained direct mailings for future reference, with 17% saying they do so regularly.

MANY CONSUMERS EXPECT DIRECT MAILINGS
 

• One-third (33%) say they would have a negative view of a brand not offering printed communications.

YOUNGER CONSUMERS MORE LIKELY TO BELIEVE THAT DIRECT MAIL IS NOT GOING AWAY
 

• Twice the number of 18-34 year-olds believe direct mailings will never be replaced entirely by online marketing messages, compared to consumers over age 55 (20% v. 9%).

TAKE-AWAY:

David Cole, MD of fast.MAP, commenting on the report said: “Direct mail is also twice more likely to engender trust than email. Post is also seen as more memorable and authoritative, whereas email provides the ease of response and the ability to share. We can therefore see how direct mail can then lay the foundation to make the role of email as a tool for response work much harder.”
 

About: 1,232 UK adult consumers were randomly selected from the fast.MAP Consumer Voice panel to gain a sample representative of the UK population. All respondents completed an online questionnaire comprising 28 questions.

Source:  UK DMA, Consumer study reveals ‘direct mail matters’ in connected world, July 11, 2013.