Insight
Why direct mail is experiencing a renaissance
In a world where adults spend an average of four-and-a-half hours a day online, according to research by Ofcom, you might think digital marketing was the only useful way to promote brands and products.
But old-school direct mail marketing is quietly resurging, with marketers saying the direct, tangible approach to advertising is still useful because the digital advertising marketplace is so crowded, and positive responses to direct mail are increasing.
A 2025 report by JICMAIL (the UK's Joint Industry Committee for Mail) found the proportion of mail prompting a purchase had increased by 35% to 8.4% of mail items overall, and a further JICMAIL study found the frequency of interaction with direct mail, plus its effectiveness at driving key digital actions among consumers, had reached a five-year high and was closing in on the record set during the 2020 lockdown.
Plus, the Data and Marketing Association (DMA) says 97% of direct mail is engaged with (i.e. some sort of physical interaction is taken with it, rather than it immediately being thrown away).
“Direct mail isn’t necessarily making a comeback because it suddenly became better,” observes Jordan Japal, founder of Sax Sells, a sales consultancy specialising in creative, personality-led outreach for which direct mail plays a major role.
“It’s becoming more valuable because digital channels have become so crowded. When everyone’s fighting for attention in the inbox, something physical is a difference-maker as it really stands out.”
And David Amor, chairman of the direct mail company First Move, says: “Direct mail has the fundamental ability to engage with recipients when it’s in their interest.
“Email is fast and low-cost, but it relies upon a split-second judgement of interest – primarily the headline. But direct mail requires more time to consider following opening the envelope. and is often then left on the coffee table for further consideration.”
Amor says research published by the National Library of Medicine about how people’s brains reacted to digital vs. print communication found “the winner was outstandingly the printed word in paper format”.
Rachael Mundy, marketing manager at Bishops Printers and The Mailing People, points out that direct mail isn’t making a comeback, because it never went away.
“What died was old-school junk mail – spamming out generic marketing communications at fixed points in the senders’ calendar,” she explains. “In effect, throwing mud at a wall to see what would stick.
“Instead, businesses are taking data acquisition and management far more seriously and using it to enable better-targeted, personalised communications.”
She says the stimulus for this is partly the rising cost of print and especially postage, but also the fact that the internet has widened the catchment area for lots of businesses.
“No one can afford to send mail regularly on a nationwide basis,” she says, “so marketers have had to be more strategic in their approach, to lean into the strengths of print and direct mail.”
And another driver for this ‘renaissance’ in direct mail, she observes, is that some businesses have found their digital strategies have stopped delivering as expected, because AI is disrupting PPC (pay-per-click) and SEO campaigns.
“It’s getting harder and harder to ensure emails are delivered successfully into inboxes,” she says, “and meanwhile, more than 90% of direct mail is opened, sidestepping spam filters and, if it’s done well, has the chance to engage with the recipient away from a screen, taking their full attention for minutes rather than the average few seconds of an email.
“Uninterrupted time with your brand and your messaging – that’s marketing gold. Every morning I arrive to dozens of emails in my inbox, but I only receive direct mail a few times a week. You can guess which I’m likely to spend more time with.”
In addition, she says consumers trust brands they see in print, perceive them more positively, and are more likely to remember what they’ve read in print rather than on a screen.
“It makes direct mail an obvious choice for customer retention and re-engagement campaigns, especially if you’re able to target based on sales value,” she explains.
Mundy suggests that to make a direct mail campaign effective, there should be…
Repetition
One and done almost never works, she stresses.
Have a broad strategy
Mundy says: “Don’t use it in isolation – make it part of a broader, integrated digital strategy if you want to maximise your ROI [return on investment]”.
Remember people interact with digital and print content differently
“Design specifically for print,” she advises. “Take advantage of the format to showcase, create intrigue and reward.”
Know your audience
Mundy says personalisation can be key. “The more relevant and timely the messaging and imagery, the better the result,” she explains.
Use codes
She suggests using QR codes, hidden or personalised landing pages, unique promo codes or telephone numbers to enable attribution.
“Control your costs to protect your ROI,” she says. “The size of your mailing list, size and weight of your direct mail piece, choice of papers, finishes and enclosing methods will all affect price – and not necessarily as you’d expect.”
