As the year draws to a close, we are back with another round of end-of-year statistics to make a compelling case for direct mail marketing. Despite the onslaught of digital marketing, traditional direct marketing is holding firm and remains a powerful and effective means to reach your target audience.
As per USPS research, 72% of Gen Z customers’ surveys revealed that they look forward to receiving mail with excitement and 38% among them visited a website after receiving relevant direct mail. Further, a majority of millennials surveyed believe direct mail is more secure compared to digital communication. People enjoy getting mail. Not to mention that direct mail has a better response rate than email (5.3 percent to email’s 0.6 percent).
Direct mail can offer something different to businesses. It is affordable, easy to create, and simple to track. With the right tools, businesses can integrate personalized mail printing by bulk into their marketing strategy at a reasonable investment. Firms can also customize their promotional materials to deliver impactful, personalized messages to their customers.
That said, consumers are sensitive when it comes to sharing their personal information and data. It’s no secret that security and privacy are two issues central to how consumers engage with marketing in today’s world.
On that note, we have some exciting news to share with you. Compu-Mail has earned certified status by HITRUST for information security. This will allow us to deliver a complete security program that offers protection against current and emerging threats.
1. Biggest Achievement – HITRUST Certification
In 2023, Compu-Mail, LLC achieved HITRUST® Implemented, 1-year (i1) Certification. Earning this certification places Compu-Mail, LLC among an elite group of organizations that have been able to meet the rigorous key compliance regulations and industry requirements for the security of protected health information (PHI). HITRUST® CSF is the information protection framework for the health care industry for addressing rigorous HIPAA standards, as well as providing a certifiable framework that includes, harmonizes, and cross-references existing, globally recognized standards, regulations and business requirements—including HIPAA, HITECH, NIST, ISO, PCI, FTC, COBIT, CCPA, and GDPR.
“Achieving HITRUST Certification is no small feat, and it demonstrates our unwavering commitment to ensuring the highest level of security and privacy for our clients’ sensitive data in an ever-evolving digital global landscape,” said Compu-Mail, LLC President Anthony Marchioni.
For us, customer data and privacy is sacrosanct. Achieving HITRUST Certification shows that we are proactive when it comes to cybersecurity, data protection, and risk mitigation and are committed to protecting our customers’ sensitive information.
Let us look at some hard numbers.
As per a report by IBM, the average cost of a data breach was $4.45 million in 2023. In addition, it takes 207 days on average to identify a breach. Further, the average lifecycle of a breach from identification to containment is 277 days.
These numbers underscore the need for having a robust HITRUST Certified partner that can take care of your direct mail needs without you having to worry about how secure your private data and information is.
2. Top-Selling Products and Services Statistics
Let us look at the industry-wide statistics of some of the top-selling products and services in direct marketing.
2.1 Data Security Statistics
As per a report by IT Governance, more than 5.9 billion records have been exposed due to data breaches in 2023 alone. There have been a total of 1,404 data breach incidents so far in the year with the biggest one being a breach at DataBeam where a massive 3.8 billion records were stolen.
To say this is a cause for concern would be an understatement. Data breaches can leave your customers at risk for identity theft, ruin your business reputation, and make you liable for compliance violations. According to Forbes, the cost of compliance can reach up to $10,000 per employee.
Thus, it is advised that you stay up-to-date in compliance with data privacy legislation like HITRUST, HIPAA, SOC, ISO 27001, and more.
2.2 Variable Data Printing Statistics
Variable data printing (VDP) involves the digital printing of promotional materials with variable elements such as text, images, graphics, QR codes, and more. These promotional materials can be in the form of direct mail, labels, and packaging.
Through VDP, businesses can create personalized and customized print materials geared towards individual preferences and data-driven marketing strategies. This allows them to target their customers with relevant communication and helps boost their engagement and response rates.
As per a report, the variable data printing market size is set to grow to USD 20.63 billion by 2030 at a CAGR of 9% during the 2023-2030 period. As businesses continue to focus on adopting individualized marketing approaches, the market is geared for sustained expansion. This will continue as companies explore new ways to connect with their customers on a more intimate level while achieving their marketing goals.
2.3 Data Analytics & Printing Statistics
Businesses use data analytics to devise strategies, streamline processes, and increase their profitability. A business must become data-driven to maximize its bottom line and better engage its customers. This has led to data analytics evolving into a multi-billion dollar industry. It not only provides the much-needed software and services but also requisite training to support companies belonging to different industries.
Here are the latest data analytics statistics and trends:
- As of 2023, the global big data analytics market is worth $307.52 billion.
- Of the companies that made data and analytics investments in 2023, 91.9% of them achieved measurable value.
- 3 in 5 businesses are using data analytics to spearhead business innovation.
- 56% of organizations want to increase their data analytics budgets this year.
- The data science and data analytics industry is primed to witness a job market boom. As many as 1.4 million jobs could be created between 2023 and 2027.
Coming to the print-on-demand industry, there is a growing market for personalized products. The print-on-demand industry grew to 20.8% in 2023 and is predicted to reach 24% by 2026. 36% of consumers expect some form of personalization by default. And 48% of them are willing to wait even longer for customized products.
2.4 Mail & Postage Statistics
The total direct mail volume for the year stands at an incredible 38.1 billion pieces. The industry is going from strength to strength. With the United States Postal Service (USPS) offering major discounts to marketers under its 2024 postal promotion, this is the right opportunity for businesses to add direct mail to their multichannel strategy.
Under the 2024 USPS postal promotion, large mailers can benefit from up to a 30% discount. If you are new to direct mail, don’t fret, as you can still take advantage of this opportunity to expand your reach. Direct mail can increase responses by an average of 20%, something that you shouldn’t miss out on. The certified and skilled team at Compu-Mail is dedicated to securing the best-optimized postage rates for your campaign initiatives.
3. Trending Direct Mail Statistics
As per the latest Winterberry Group report, U.S. marketers will invest upwards of $39.36 billion in their direct mail efforts in 2023. The report further revealed that 39% of organizations surveyed are taking the necessary steps to integrate direct mail with other channels.
3.1 General Statistics
- Direct mail is either read or scanned by as much as 42.2% of direct mail recipients.
- As per the Data & Marketing Association, direct mail has an open rate of 90% whereas only 20-30% of marketing emails get opened.
- 76% of consumers rely on direct mail when making decisions on what to buy.
- For response purposes, 30% of millennials prefer direct mail while 24% go for email.
- Customers like to receive catalogs from their favorite merchants, according to 86% of respondents.
- 61% of consumers say they look forward to receiving direct mail on new products from brands.
- Postcards with a response rate of 5.7% are the most effective type of direct mail.
- Receiving handwritten cards and letters makes a positive impression on 95% of individuals aged 18 to 29.
- Households having an annual income above $200,000 are more likely to check their mail every day.
- 52% of customers expect personalized direct mail.
3.2 Marketing Statistics:
- Direct mail marketing is considered to be a crucial component of their marketing strategy by 73% of marketers.
- With an average success rate of 31.49%, it is no wonder that marketers are incorporating direct mail marketing in their marketing efforts.
- Direct mail is considered to be more effective than digital advertising by 92% of customers.
- Almost 60% of survey participants can recall specific direct mail promotions.
- A digital campaign’s response rate increases by 118% when direct mail is included in the marketing strategy.
- The response rate for home lists in direct mail marketing is 9%, while the rate for prospect lists is 5%.
- Response rates to personalized direct mail campaigns are 135% higher than those of non-personalized ones.
- Customers give direct mail marketing a higher media rating—63 out of 100 say it’s excellent or very good.
- Just 17% of consumers can recall electronic ads, compared to 47% who usually retain printed direct mail adverts.
- Marketers typically spend $100–500 per person on direct mail.
4. Direct Mail Marketing Trends for 2024
Direct mail offers a refreshing alternative from the surplus of digital marketing that surrounds us. Let’s explore some key trends to aid you in careful planning and executing more strategic marketing initiatives in 2024.
4.1 Data Optimization
To keep your costs under control, it is important that you invest in data. Businesses can utilize their data to power their VDP efforts and better engage with their customers through customized offers, copy, and images. By doing so you can focus on your best-performing segments, and create campaigns that are more relevant to your prospects and customers.
By optimizing data you can create targeted campaigns instead of generic ones. You will be in a better position to grab attention and prompt action in any channel – be it print or digital. In addition, you can better track consumer responses, and take necessary steps to attribute and improve the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.
4.2 Artificial Intelligence (AI)
With recent advancements made in generative AI tools, like Chat GPT, businesses can create new data, such as text, images, video, and more, and do so quickly. AI can enable companies to potentially transform how they create campaigns through:
- Automating tasks such as content creation, campaign analysis, and project management and thereby, saving on time and effort.
- Analyzing customer data to predict which segments are most likely to respond to specific messages.
- Improving targeting of customers with personalized messaging, offers, etc., based on behavioral and intent data.
- Optimizing mail campaigns based on response analysis & making adjustments as and when needed.
AI can enable businesses to boost the value and effectiveness of their direct mail efforts and in turn, improve their ROI.
4.3 Trigger-Based Marketing
Trigger-based direct mail allows businesses to improve their conversions by targeting their customers with targeted, personalized messaging. You can use trigger-based marketing to target new customers or leads, website visitors, renewals, upgrades or cross-selling, and shopping cart abandonments.
Compu-Mail: Your Security Partner
Security is imperative in the direct mail channel since most campaigns require businesses to share their sensitive customer information and data with their direct mail partners. Due to increasing cybersecurity threats, direct marketing companies must ensure that they offer top-notch security to their customers.
At Compu-Mail, we aim to serve our customers to the best of our ability. Achieving HITRUST Certification shows our unwavering commitment to ensuring the highest level of security and privacy for our customers’ sensitive data. So rest assured, your data is safe with us.
