Direct Mail Spurs Internet Sales Growth

A study of online shoppers conducted for the USPS by comScore found that online consumers who received a catalog in the mail from any given retailer were TWICE as likely to make an online purchase at that retailers web site.  Data compiled from the 6,400 responses showed that catalog recipients account for 22% of web site traffic and 37% of e-commerce dollars.  More surprising and worth noting is that online consumers receiving a printed catalog in the mail made 15% more transactions, their online spending was higher by 16%, and they  viewed 22% more pages the retailer’s site. These higher levels of online engagement deepened their relationship with the retailer, introduced consumers
to more products and increased brand awareness.

Moreover, the data show that any kind of direct mail can boost online sales.  For a look at the complete study click here:  USPS Whitepaper.

So who said the Internet would be the death knell for Direct Mail?

I cut my direct marketing teeth in direct mail so when the rest of the world was predicting that the Internet would do away with retail “brick-and-mortar” stores as well as books, newspapers, and direct mail I was the contrarian.  Why?  Because everybody loves to get mail and everyone looks at his mail.  In fact, a survey of 1,500 households conducted by InnoMedia, Inc. for The Mail Moment Study yielded the following:

•        56% say receiving Mail is a “real pleasure.”

•        55% “look forward” to discovering the Mail they receive.

•        67% feel Mail is more personal than the Internet.

Get good creative in a person’s hands and they’ll spend a minute or two with your message.  According to the study people spend an average of 30 minutes reading their Mail on any given occasion.  If you’ve targeted your message to the right person and you engage them with relevant creative, you’ve got the battle half won.

These findings are not surprising if you consider your own habits … routines … what-have-you … related to your own Mail Moments.  Don’t you take time with your mail?  Is the mail something you look forward to each day?  If there is something in the mail related to a hobby of yours – something that interests you – does it capture your attention?  Contrast this mindset with your feelings towards email advertising:  hundreds of messages per day, many with subject-lines that have no relation to the product or service offered and/or with offers of things that would make my mother blush.  The point here isn’t that email
marketing is a waste of your money or doesn’t have a place in the marketing mix:  it’s that with direct mail you can drive prospects and customers to your web site to make the sale.  Oh, and also that direct mail isn’t dead.  One the contrary; since so many seem to have abandoned the mailbox, my guess is that there is now less competition and therefore money to be made.

Check out the study here:  The Mail Moment

Direct Effect Media Services Signs Macromedia

Effective July 1st Direct Effect Media Services will handling all email marketing for
Macromedia, a major win for Direct Effect which for the last year and a half had been handling a large portion of the email list rentals.  “It was time to formalize our relationship,” Bernard Ryan, President of Direct Effect Media Services said.  “Our firm has a long history working with tech companies like Macromedia.  We have a deep familiarity with the tech sector and the media that are most successful for reaching the tech buyer and generating sales.  In fact, we came to Macromedia via our 3-year relationship with eHelp Software, which was acquired by Macromedia in December of 2003.”

Direct Effect Media Services will make list recommendations and handle all email list buys for Macromedia’s Breeze, Flex, and Web Publishing System products.