Direct mail remains a core advertising strategy

The direct mail is thriving, according to new statistics, with the vast majority of customers surveyed saying they prefer direct mail to email.

Reports from The Royal Mail and Baker Goodchild, a direct mail fulfilment company, outline that during 2014, UK businesses invested over £1.5bn into direct mail, with some 14% of all advertising spend going on direct mail. And 61% of charities spend an even higher proportion on direct mail, amounting to £239m out of a total of £394m.

Other key findings were:

• 48% of people take action from direct mail;
• 98% of recipients prefer their direct mail to be personalised;
• 60% of people felt that direct mail keeps brands in their minds;
• 17 days is the average time that people keep advertising mail;
• 83% of people surveyed preferred to receive direct mail than email.

“We (Baker Goodchild) hope that by showing through our new infographics that direct mail is alive and also is a much preferred form of engagement with customers, companies will realise the best form of engagement and communication with customers is by direct mail, the statistics prove it,” comments Lorraine Burnell, Managing Director of Baker Goodchild.