The Mail Moment
By Commissioned by the United States Postal Service (USPS) and Conducted by InnoMedia Inc.
Direct Mail
"The immediacy of mail and the attention it receives by consumers gives a company’s marketing message an opportunity to be noticed unlike any other media channel."
Year: 2004
Type of Promotional Material/Activity Tested: The value of mail in a multi-channel marketing environmen
Sample Population: 1,502 U.S. households representing a nationally sample
Metrics: In Phase 1, a mail survey was sent to US households to be completed by the person responsible for bringing in and sorting the mail. Phase 2 was devoted to 54 qualitative one-on-one interviews with consumers on their engagement with their mail.
Top Line Results:
Percentage of household members responsible for the mail who:
| Bring the mail in the same day it is delivered | 98% |
| Determine which mail is kept for review | 90% |
| Are the primary grocery shoppers | 84% |
| Sort through the mail immediately | 77% |
| Sort through mail for coupons and bargains | 63% |
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Consumers report spending an average of 30 minutes daily reading their mail -- 45 minutes with magazines, 30 minutes with catalogs, 30 minutes with bills and 25 minutes with direct mail.
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Consumers, who receive a company’s mail catalog, report going online and making 16% more visits to the company’s website, view 22% more pages, and spend 15% more time on the company's website.
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Consumers said they are more likely to read a piece of direct mail if it helps them in one of three ways: browse for new purchases, manage the household, or oversee finances.
| Value the privacy of mail | 75% |
| Value the security of the mail | 68% |
| Feel it is more personal than the Internet | 67% |
| Value the reliability of mail | 65% |
| Enjoy taking time to browse catalogs | 63% |
| Look forward to discover what is in their mail | 55% |
| Note: % top 2 box scores on 5 point Agree/Disagree scale | |
“I really depend on mail and would be lost without it”
| Age of Consumer | % Agree |
| 60 years and over | 62% |
| 50-59 years | 52% |
| 40-49 years | 52% |
| Under 40 years | 45% |
| Note: % top 2 box scores on 5 point Agree/Disagree scale | |
Take Aways:
- Despite the popularity of e-mail and the Internet, consumers are making the time daily to sit down and sort/read their business and direct mail as they browse for consumption choices, manage household operations, and look for ways to save money.
- Catalogs and other direct mailings are an integral part of the marketing mix, with the ability to drive website visits and purchases.
- The immediacy of mail, and the attention it receives by consumers, gives a company’s marketing message an opportunity to be noticed unlike any other media channel.
Complexity rating: 1 out of 3 (complex statistical analysis scale: 1=none, 2=moderate, 3=difficult)
Read more about this study: USPS, The Mail Moment, March 21, 2005.
