By Erwin Busselot, Director Business Innovation & Solutions, Ricoh Graphic Communications, Ricoh Europe
Direct mail continues to deliver even in this increasingly digital age.
That is the outcome of recent Keypoint Intelligence research that confirmed four ways direct mail get results. It:
Grabs attention – nearly 60% of consumer respondents in America said direct mail pieces were more likely to attract their attention if the offering was of interest to them.
Prompts purchases – 59% of total consumers had made a purchase in the past three months based on the direct mail they received.
Drives engagement – consumers are captivated by direct mail pieces that are customised to reflect their personal needs and interests. And this targeted approach frequently results in sales.
Forges stronger relationships – in the six months prior to Keypoint Intelligence’s survey, over half of consumer respondents remembered receiving a piece of direct mail that was clearly tailored to their interests or past purchases. Two thirds of respondents definitely or usually paid more attention to direct mail pieces that included personalisation.
Personalised direct mail stands out. It gets noticed.
Also proving captivating are vibrant, rich, and tactile digital print enhancements such as metallic colours and spot varnishing. As much as 60% of total consumer respondents said they would definitely, or probably, notice a direct mail piece with special effects – this was particularly so for consumers under the age of 43.
Direct mail can provide a valuable link to digital channels as well, with QR codes to a website for example. While tools like bit.ly and tinyurl.com enable weblinks to be updated after the printing of a mailpiece, giving great flexibility to marketeers and agencies alike. Research showed that younger consumers are especially likely to notice digital links in catalogues or direct mail with over half of respondents between the ages of 27 and 42 frequently or sometimes scanning QR codes.
One of the key takeaways was that direct mail remains a top choice among all age groups.
The latest figures for Q2 2024 from JICMail, the joint industry currency for ad mail in Great Britain, reaffirmed the likeability of direct mail and even reported an increase in the amount of time consumers spent interacting with it.
The average piece of direct mail was retained in the home for 7.3 days (up 4% year on year) and looked at for 132 seconds across 28 days. The average door drop stayed in the home for 5.9 days (up 3%) and was engaged with for a minute.
Commercial effectiveness improved too, with 5.3% stimulating a purchase, up 8% year on year, and 8% generated a website visit, up 3% year on year.
For 51% of mail that drove a purchase that was completed online – the highest figures since the purchase channel was split out by JICMail in Q3 2023. Action was prompted most by mail from the utilities and financial services sectors.
JICMail figures showed a 12% increase in volumes although the majority of this – 10% – was mail from political parties in the run up to the British general election (incidentally, in Austria, high speed inkjet technology is being used to print personalised direct mailers on behalf of the Green party). The rest was largely attributed to the travel and retail sectors.
For example, luxury travel brand Mr. & Mrs. Smith recently successfully refreshed its approach to direct mail with a highly targeted focus, using customer analytics to tailor content and maintain brand values. Extensive customer analytics helped identify two distinct audiences – 45+ affluent families in larger houses alongside well paid 20 to 30 year olds in rented or shared accommodation in cities. The customised content was then shaped accordingly in an eight page newspaper format for a more immersive experience. It achieved a 35:1 Return on Advertising Spend (ROAS).
Developing personalised direct mail pieces that are creative, memorable, and engaging is made simple with Ricoh’s inkjet and sheetfed toner systems that include the high speed digital inkjet RICOH Pro™ VC80000 and sheetfed digital inkjet RICOH Pro™ Z75 B2 plus platform as well as the sheetfed toner RICOH ProTM C9500. The latter can print on substrates up to 600 micron although with a new thick media customisation kit, the Pro C9500 can print higher calipers. There is also the fifth colour capabilities of the RICOH ProC7500, with that include gold and silver, neon pink, neon yellow, clear, white, and invisible red. Ricoh’s variable data printing solution – FusionPro – provides automated workflow and intelligent template capability to reduce manual touchpoints, costs, and turnaround time to enable your clients to benefit from highly effective printed direct mail.
www.ricoh-europe.com
