Despite ever-changing trends in digital marketing, American consumers remain more receptive to direct marketing that comes in an envelope in the mail.
According to a recent national online survey, 75% of consumers say they’re most likely to pay attention to and act upon direct mail sent to the home—over three times more than unsolicited email, online banner or pop-up ads, sales calls to the home and text message ads combined.
What’s behind this enduring appeal? It seems that American consumers value people-to-people communication in ways that are secure, private and reliable. Envelopes enrich the quality of communication, as opposed to digital technology which increases the quantity of communications.
Highlights of the survey findings include:
- Consumers across all demographics respond more positively to direct marketing efforts mailed to them in envelopes (41%), compared to postcards or self-mailer fliers (16%).
- Women (45%) and consumers over age 34 (44%) are most responsive to direct mail offers received in envelopes.
- When consumers receive envelopes in the mail containing marketing, advertising or promotional material, the top three things they say they “always or usually do”:
- Open the envelope if they believe the contents might be interesting (66%)
- Open the envelope if they perceive contents will be of personal interest to them (61%)
- Open the envelope if they can clearly identify the purpose and sender (59%)
These findings reinforce the belief of marketers that envelopes still leave a memorable impression on consumers. There’s a tangible quality to envelopes and paper-based communications that persists in the face of online appeals to consumers that come off as distance and impersonal.
Wells & Drew offers a variety of envelope options to meet your specific marketing needs, including engraved mailing envelopes, laser-safe thermographed envelopes and offset-printed envelopes. Find out more.
(Our thanks to Print in the Mix for alerting us to the envelope survey.)
