Direct mail is an effective medium for retailers to connect with consumers, according to a study released yesterday by direct marketing services provider Vertis.
Results in “Customer Focus 2005: Retail Direct Marketing” include that 24 percent of adult respondents who read direct mail visited a store in the past 90 days prompted by receiving a retailer's direct mail piece. Other findings:
· Of direct mail readers surveyed, 33 percent of female baby boomers born from 1946 to 1955 said they visited a new store in the past 90 days based on direct mail received from a retailer.
· 28 percent of male Generation X adults born from 1965 to 1976 who read direct mail visited a store where they typically do not shop based on direct mail.
· 26 percent of female Generation Y direct mail readers born from 1977 to 1994 said they visited a store based on direct mail.
· 25 percent of all the adults surveyed with a household income of $30,000 to $50,000 who read direct mail said they visited a store where they typically do not shop due to direct mail.
The survey also asked participants what kind of direct mail they read and to which types of messages they respond. The study revealed that:
· 94 percent of female baby boomers born from 1956 to 1964 who read retail direct mail read material from discount stores, compared with 83 percent of female baby boomers born from 1946 to 1955.
· 95 percent of younger female baby boomer retail direct mail readers said they read information from a department store, compared with 84 percent of Generation X women born from 1965 to 1976.
· 90 percent of female Generation Y retail direct mail readers born from 1977 to 1994 said they read grocery direct mail, compared with 85 percent of older baby boomers.
· 75 percent of older female baby boomer retail direct mail readers look at information received from a home improvement store.
· 82 percent of Generation X women who read retail direct mail said they have replied to a buy-one-get-one-free message, compared with 63 percent of men in the same category.
· Of the male Generation Y adults who read retail direct mail, 79 percent said they respond to messages that include discounts off a single item, compared with 67 percent of women in the same category.
· 76 percent of adults with a household income of $50,000 to $75,000 who read direct mail have responded to messages with coupons.
· 72 percent of adults with a household income of less than $30,000 who read retail direct mail said they have responded to messages with buy-one-get-one-free offers.
· Another part of the survey focused on defining retail direct mail readers. It revealed that:
· Of clothing store direct mail readers, 71 percent are women.
· Of home electronics store direct mail readers, 51 percent are men.
· 27 percent of home electronics direct mail readers are Generation X adults.
· Of clothing store direct mail readers, 23 percent are younger baby boomer adults.
