08 December 2022

SUBSTANTIAL INCREASES IN MAIL ENGAGEMENT

JICMail (Joint Industry Committee for Mail) has released its data for Q3 2022, which found there has been a significant increase in the amount of mail UK consumers are reading and looking at and putting on display in the home.

The data covering the period from July to September 2022 found that this has also been accompanied by an increase in mail effectiveness across seven of the 12 commercial effectiveness metrics tracked by JICMail.

JICMail’s diary-based data captured from a panel of one thousand households every month reveals that in Q3 2022 a greater proportion of mail was read (74% of mail items), opened (65%), retained (45%), put on display (4%) and taken out of the home (3%) in Q3 2022, than in the same period in Q3 2021.

The data showed that the average piece of business mail was interacted with 4.8 times over a 28-day period, direct mail 4.4 times, Partially Addressed Mail (PAM) four times, and door drops 3.1 times.

The average lifespan in the home was 8.6 days for business mail, 7.4 days for direct mail, 6.8 days for PAM, and 5.9 days for door drops.

As the cost-of-living crisis deepens, JICMail said consumers have been more likely to put the mail that matters most to them on display in their homes than ever before.

Record amounts of mail were put on display in Q3, with appointment related information, loyalty reward statements, notifications and reminders – for example, related to product and service renewals, and vouchers and coupons the most commonly displayed mail content in the home.

Metrics related to tangible commercial benefits to advertisers throughout the sales funnel also improved in Q3. 15% of mail prompted a brand discussion, the highest rate recorded in two years. In addition, brand discovery prompted by mail was further seen with increased amounts prompting web visits, store visits, calls to the advertiser, and mobile device usage.

Increased product and service discovery drove improved conversion levels with 3% of mail prompting a voucher redemption and 5% used to make a purchase.

Ian Gibbs, JICMail director of data leadership and learning, said: “As the cost-of-living crisis deepens, UK households are becoming more reliant on the mail channel to deliver a vital connection between consumers and brands.