Research: Under half of UK consumers visit websites as a result of promotional DM
Just under half of consumers in the UK visit a company website as a result of coming into contact with a piece of direct mail, new research has claimed.
According to research by database and loyalty marketing firm GI Insight, 47% of UK consumers said that they are ‘more often than not’ driven to a website by something they have received in the post.
The report also found that just over a third of respondents (34%) said that most of the direct marketing they receive comes through the post, while one third (33%) said that they were more likely to respond to email-only communications. Another third said they were more likely to be influenced by post and email communications in tandem.
It was also found that over half of consumers (52%) redeemed in-store or online special offers that they had received through the post, while 43% said that they kept direct mail around the household in order to remind them to visit the company’s website in future.
Andy Wood, managing director of GI Insight, commented: “These findings clearly demonstrate that direct mail is still an extremely powerful tool, even in the digital age, and plays a pivotal role in any business’ efforts to contact consumers – despite increasing use of email and regardless of the channel that consumers choose to actually purchase through.”
Other findings included that over half (53%) of 18-24 year-olds would visit a website having been prompted to do so by something they were posted, that men were more likely to visit a website due to a piece of direct mail than women (49% of men in contract to 44% of women).
Wood notes: “The report highlights that the UK customer journey from marketing communication to in-store or website purchase is anything but linear. There may be a number of messages that influence the consumer’s behaviour. Evidently, one of the real drivers of many purchases is the reminder – whether it is a piece of post set aside, or an email sent to reinforce a mailer. To ensure that these reminders are pertinent and part of an organic strategy, all dialogue with the customer must be informed by data and analysis.
“Only by embracing full customer insight and responding aptly to customer behaviour with relevant messages and offers can companies communicate more effectively and personally with individual consumers. By using data and analysis to better understand how customers are making their purchasing decisions, firms can find the most engaging mix of channels for each customer and gain a decisive edge on competitors.”