New figures from JICMail, the joint industry currency for advertising mail reveal the improved effectiveness of direct mail since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
The data from the first three months of 2021 showed that mail volumes recorded year-on-year growth for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
Despite the lockdown, advertisers remained more optimistic than they were at the start of the pandemic. Mail volumes grew by three per cent year-on-year, primarily driven by a strong performance from direct mail, which was up nine per cent year-on-year, and business mail, which grew by seven per cent.
The report also found that mail effectiveness continued to record double-digit year-on-year growth across nearly all stages of the customer journey.
Nine per cent of mail (direct mail, door drops, and business mail combined) prompted a visit to an advertiser website in Q1, representing a 32 per cent growth in effectiveness year-on-year. Eight per cent of mail prompted a brand discussion, which was up 15 per cent year-on-year, while five per cent prompted consumers to look up their account details, a rise of 10 per cent year-on-year.
The data showed that the average door drop was interacted with 2.98 times per month, direct mail 4.42 times, and business mail 4.83 times. The average door drop was kept in the home for 6.2 days before being filed or recycled, with direct mail being kept for 7.9 days, and business mail retained for 9.4 days.
JICMail said that two-year growth rates are still strong, evidence that long-term changes in mail behaviours remain.
Furthermore, it added that with commercial effectiveness growth rates outstripping the growth in frequency of interaction with mail, each mail impression “is now working harder than ever at driving a commercial response”.
Of course, mail is only effective when it is received by the right people. All too often direct mail lands on the doormats of people that have moved house, or sadly passed away. This can cause great distress to the bereaved and is proven to be a massive irritant to new occupiers resulting in significant brand damage. This is why we’ve launched Clean Contacts a new way for customers hosting their database on Microsoft Dynamics 365 to securely clean their data and ensure the continued effectiveness of their mailing campaigns. For more information please don’t hesitate to get in touch!
