Everybody loves mail, so long as it's not electronic

American company, International Communications Research, published a study revealing that mail is consumers' preferred form of communication. The divide between print mail and email is stark, according to the study, which showed that 73 per cent of consumers prefer mail for receiving new product announcements from companies they do business with, as opposed to 18 per cent who preferred email. Mail was also favoured by 70 per cent of respondents for receiving unsolicited information on products and services from companies that they were not currently using.

"The research clearly shows that consumers still prefer mail over e-mail," said Stacy DeWalt, vice president, Vertical Market Development and Marketing, Pitney Bowes Management Services. "In working with our customers, we continue to find that mail is the most effective marketing tool businesses can use when communicating with their customers."

These trends apply to Australia as well, according to Janice Mascini, communications manager at Australia Post Corporate Public Affairs. "Research in Australia has also indicated that consumers have a very strong preference for mail for delivery of important messages; whether they be promotional offers or bills or statements," she said.

The medium is the message, and people are more likely to engage with something that they can hold as opposed to words on a screen. "Paper-based communication is highly valued because it is trusted, tangible and reliable and there is less clutter in the physical mail box," Mascini said. "The average Australian letterbox receives just nine addressed mail items per week."

Mascini also pointed to the latest Commonwealth Economic Advisory Service of Australia (CEASA) report, which showed an 8.8 per cent growth for direct mail - the highest result since 1998. "Organisations are using direct mail because it is effective," she said.

Got a view on this story? Drop us a line and let us know