Fresh evidence has emerged of the effectiveness of direct mail and door-drops since the outbreak of Covid-19, with rises in both viewing frequency and interaction, according to new official figures from Jicmail.
With many fearing that the market would suffer badly from the effects of the coronavirus marketing cull, it seems the opposite is true, with lockdown contributing to an 11% year-on-year increase in the number of times a piece of direct mail was interacted with to 4.58 times, a record high since Jicmail launched in 2017.
In fact all areas have witnessed a rise, with viewing frequency for door-drops up to 3.19 times and 4.87 times for business mail. Overall, mail interaction was up by 14%.
According to an analysis of the data by Whistl Doordrop Media, Government door-drops have outperformed the market during lockdown with interaction up to 4.21 times for each piece and in-home lifespan up to 9.5 days. This has led to a 45% increase in the media impressions generated by recent door-drops compared to Q2 2019.
Charities’ use of door-drops has also increased during the lockdown, up by 4%, defying an overall 41% volume drop. Mail order and financial services direct mail and business mail remained resilient during lockdown. Travel, tourism and attractions were predictably the most impacted categories.
Whistl claims that its clients that have used door-drops during lockdown have experienced some of their best ever results, including one furniture retailer which had an 11% increase in its online sales by using door-drops despite physical stores being closed.
Meanwhile, a charity received £37,000 in donations over the phone in the first week of their door-drop campaign and a food company saw an increase of 40% compared to its original forecasted response in the first few weeks of its activity. The campaign is estimated to mature with +37% improvement in the cost efficiency.
Whistl Doordrop Media managing director Mark Davies said: “The recent release of Q2 2020 data shines a light on the behaviour of a nation at home during lockdown. Q2 was an extraordinary time in so many ways, not least in terms of media consumption.
“Much has been reported about digital acceleration during this period but, with a nation at home, the latest Jicmail data informs us that all mail channels benefited in terms of reach, frequency and longevity in the home.
“This backs up the compelling results we are seeing from client campaigns that are live at the moment indicating that there is no better time to be planning a mail or door-drop campaign.”
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