Category: Direct Mail

Interactive direct mail empowers your e-commerce business to take your messaging from the screen into the households of prospects and customers who trust printed mail but shop online. With attractive, quality, and interactive direct mail, your e-commerce business can engage audiences physically and establish authenticity that sets you apart from the competition.

Interactive e-commerce direct mail also gives businesses advantages and cost savings through the USPS Tactile & Sensory Promotion that encourages and rewards businesses to use interactive elements like pop-ups, fold-out panels, sensory elements, and special textures.

How E-Commerce Sites Are Using Interactive Mailers

Pop-Up Designs

E-commerce businesses that incorporate pop-up designs into their direct mail use the elements of surprise to transform an ordinary looking direct mail piece into a 3D representation of their brand and products. You can apply this element to bring a sense of realism to e-commerce products that online shoppers only experience in 2D and provides opportunities for storytelling that is engaging, interactive, and memorable into your promotions.

Fold-Out Panels

Direct mail pieces with fold-out panels provide e-commerce brands with abundant space to display products and guide prospects and customers to a compelling call-to-action using sequential panels that build excitement or arouse curiosity. Unique folds, such as gatefolds or z-folds, invite interactivity and can be opened to reveal coupons or product samples in fun ways. The larger fold-out space lets your brand use bigger photos and creative layouts that are not possible in a traditional mailer. Working with an experienced print provider enables your design team to create the most engaging and cost-effective print piece.

Textured Materials

E-commerce direct mail with textured surfaces immediately sets the piece apart from other mail the moment the recipient pulls it from the mailbox. Materials like linen, silk, or embossed paper or stock feel luxurious to the touch and special finishes such as soft-coatings, embossing, foil stamping add elegance. Raised UV coatings add extra dimensions to your e-commerce mailer that make a memorable and instant impression. Mailer material can accentuate the physical qualities of products with non-traditional components like wood veneer, fabric, or other unusual materials.

Gamification Elements

E-commerce direct mail pieces are especially engaging when they include gamification features that reveal discounts, promotional codes or lead to special gift offers. They encourage interactivity with irresistible scratch off reveals, quizzes and puzzles, interactive foldouts, and augmented reality (AR) integration that bridge the gap between the mailer and your website. Prospects and customers enjoy competing for rewards, gaining access to new products, and entering sweepstakes.

Augmented Reality (AR) Integration

When your e-commerce brand integrates AR technologies into direct mail pieces with QR codes, PURLs, or other digital links, you introduce audiences to interactive content through direct mail. Scans of direct mailer content can lead to product videos, tutorials, games and contests. With a thorough understanding of the buyer, you can use AR to deliver personalized content that is relevant to their lifestyles and offers a valuable and unique experience.

Personalized Messages and Graphics

E-commerce direct mail is an especially effective way to take the data your brand has collected online and deploy it offline with mailers tailored around the recipients’ purchasing habits and relationship with the brand. Variable data printing (VDP) and automated CRMs make it easy to insert images and text into the mail piece based on interests, location, or where the recipient is in the purchasing lifecycle. Segmenting audience by common and important characteristics increases the value of the piece and the likelihood of it resulting in a conversion.

Sensory Elements

By adding innovative and unexpected sensory elements to direct mail, your brand can trigger emotional responses that resonate deeply with prospects and customers. Beyond tactile elements, your direct mail can include scented inks and fragrances that stir memories or smells that comfort and convey trust. Innovative brands are using audio features in mailers by integrating sound chips to create voice-activated mailers. This allows them to include recorded messaging that plays through crush-proof speakers when activated by the recipient.

Spotlight: OSU Mailer

Oklahoma State University (OSU) began building community among new students with an interactive direct mail piece that encouraged them to put on school-logoed sunglasses and share selfies with fellow students.

A QR code on the mailer made it easy for students to connect with others and join in the fun.

Benefits of Interactive Direct Mailers for E-Commerce Companies

Regardless of your choice of interactive direct mail elements, you’ll realize tangible benefits when your prospects and customers can touch, explore, play with, and hold on to your printed direct mailer.

• Higher Engagement Rates: It’s practically impossible for a person not to sort through and take notice of their mail after retrieving it from the mailbox. Direct mail pieces enhanced with AR qualities stand apart. With interactive direct mail, your e-commerce business can connect with prospects and customers in ways that are not possible with traditional, non-integrated direct mail. Through that initial impression, your e-commerce brand can then build deeper connections with interactive elements that hold the recipient’s attention. According to Mailing Systems Technology, direct mail pieces enhanced with augmented reality (AR) can elevate engagement rates by up to 40% compared to traditional static mail, making recipients far more likely to interact with and remember the piece.
• Memorability: Your e-commerce brand can benefit from direct mail campaigns that recipients recall by including interactive elements and developing designs that serve a lasting purpose with their physical presence. Sensory engagement with quality stock and unexpected or elegant textures and trailing edge envelopes, rip-open envelopes, zip-strip envelopes, or reveal envelopes create multisensory encounters. Receiving interactive direct mail becomes a participatory event that makes the entire experience more immersive and unforgettable. The USPS Tactile, Sensory, and Interactive Promotion Guidelines document substantial lifts in recall and response rates as a result of adding multisensory elements—such as textures, scents, pop-ups, or sound chips—though individual campaign lifts may vary.
• Enhanced Conversion: Interactive e-commerce direct mail makes it easy for the prospect or customer to connect from the printed direct mailer to your e-commerce site where they can conduct a transaction or submit an order. The relationship starts with the direct mailer and then leads the recipient onto a personalized landing page through a scanned QR code or PURL with targeted promotions they’ll find valuable and timely. This seamless transition delivers more focused messaging and increases opportunities to boost sales. The USPS reports that direct mail that contains interactive elements like QR codes generates a response rate 30% or greater than traditional direct mail’s 2.7% to 4.4% average response rate.
• Brand Differentiation: By creating a tangible, memorable, and emotional bond with prospects and customers with interactive e-commerce direct mail, your e-commerce brand can stand out from the competition both in the mailbox and your industry. By establishing a physical presence, you distinguish your brand through a different but highly successful marketing channel and reinforce messaging across customer-preferred digital platforms. It lets prospects and customers see your brand in an entirely new light, amplifies reach, and creates experiences people remember. Multiple industry sources report that brands that incorporate interactivity into direct mail experience brand recall rates of up to 70% higher than traditional direct mail.

Conclusion

In the crowded digital world of e-commerce, it can be difficult to get noticed, but printed interactive direct mail will help your e-commerce business stand out from the pack. The tactile sensations experienced by the recipients draw their attention and the appeal of the interactive nature of the piece leads to greater engagement and conversion.

Contact Marketing.com to learn more about the many advantages that your e-commerce business can gain with interactive direct mail and how the USPS Tactile & Sensory Promotion can save your business money.

In a competitive marketplace, every business seeks the slightest edge to stay ahead of the competition and to find resources to support growth. Partnering with one vendor for all of your print, mail, fulfillment, and distribution services enhances efficiencies throughout your entire operation and, as the expectations of your customers evolve, lets you quickly respond to market trends, provide excellent service throughout the entire process, all while reducing costs.

7 Benefits of Single Vendor Integrated Print and Distribution Services

1. Faster and More Reliable Delivery Options

A single, integrated print and distribution service vendor streamlines workflows when projects are coordinated under one roof with a seamless process that begins when an order is placed. There’s a smooth handoff between every step that includes picking, packing, and logistics with control monitored and centralized through one dashboard, with communication simplified, and delays eliminated.

Dot™, Marketing.com’s print and distribution platform, coordinates distribution performance and integrates the production and sending of branded products, mail, and marketing collateral that is kitted and packed efficiently using the innovative automated processes. Packing and shipping errors are reduced and both you and your customer gain the ability to track shipments at every stage.

Case Study: Whirlpool Corporation, with brands that include Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, and Amana, faced problems getting product kits to display on their products in thousands of Home Depot, Lowe’s, Mendars, Best Buy, and other retailers on time for national promotions. They were also dissatisfied with the lack of consistent quality across the entire range of their print-product materials.  Learn how Marketing.com provides consistent high-quality service.

2. Real-Time Tracking and Transparency

When one vendor handles all aspects of print, kitting, packing, and shipment logistics, your business can expect improved delivery accuracy and efficiencies for better control over supply chains, more efficient delivery routes, and fewer delays.

For brands and marketers that support healthcare providers and other regulated industries, logistics transparency ensures that the handling of pharmaceutical and medical, insurance, and legal documents are delivered securely. When companies receive real-time updates on the state of inventories and shipments, they can plan for receipt and synchronize store promotions and adapt quickly should delays or changes occur. Marketing.com’s use of tracking technology boosts customer trust and reduces worry about order status.

Case Study: When one of the one of the largest managed care organizations in the U.S experienced challenges due to rapid membership growth and needed reliable mail verification for the mailing of more than 2.5 million membership packets during peak enrollment season, they turned to Marketing.com. Read more about our real-time tracking and transparency solutions.

3. Automation and AI Innovates Technology Empowering Distribution Services

Integrating your print, mail, and distribution services through one vendor like Marketing.com transforms your ability for seamless pick and pack services to sort thousands of parcels per hour accurately and reduce labor costs. Our Dot™ platform integrates automation and AI-driven solutions to speed up repetitive tasks and anticipate demand surges to allocate resources efficiently to avoid costly delays and continually improve service.

Marketing.com simplifies the ordering process for your team with user-friendly interfaces and customizable workflows. We combine warehousing, kitting, printing, and distribution under one roof at strategic locations across the country for streamlined operations and help your business adapt to growth with flexible solutions that scale with your needs.

Case Study: A large retailer required customized in-store signage for each of their multiple locations and an ordering and workflow process that improved on-time performance and precisely coordinated delivery. Here’s how Marketing.com did it. 

4. Expertise and Scalability

Outsourcing print, mail, and distribution services to a single vendor like Marketing.com -especially one with a national network of fulfillment centers – offers significant advantages for scalability and resource optimization. Automated workflows and print-on-demand capabilities expand opportunities to quickly ramp up distribution for seasonal demand or promotions and efficiently scale things down when demand lessens.

Leveraging Marketing.com’s expertise in commercial printing, warehousing, kitting, and logistics helps businesses like yours save on costs for expensive equipment, specialized staff, and spares you the headache of integrating a diverse set of vendor platforms. You eliminate gaps in communication and reduce errors, as well as gain consistent quality and branding across all your promotion and distribution channels. We allow you to focus on your business when you partner with us for end-to-end management from one centralized location.

5. Cost Efficiency

Outsourcing print, mail, and distribution services to a single vendor like Marketing.com with a network of centers reduces costs in several ways by leveraging large-scale operation to negotiate better bulk printing and shipping that we pass on to your business. By consolidating operations under one roof, our Dot™ program unifies the entire process from start to finish, reducing unnecessary administrative overhead, eliminating wasteful steps, and reducing the need for manual intervention.

Our print capabilities for variable data printing (VDP) and print-on-demand create the ability to produce material as needed, reducing waste and storage costs and keeping materials relevant. We stay on top of the most current trends in print and distribution fulfillment, so you always enjoy access to the most advanced technologies in the market today. Our national network of print and distribution centers help control distribution costs for both small and large campaigns.

Case Study: A leading financial investment firm that relied on third-party vendors found it difficult to maintain branding guidelines and lacked an automated workflow which caused deadlines to be missed and launch dates postponed. Marketing.com helped our client grow from a $10 million company to one with revenues exceeding $14 billion over twenty years. Learn how.

6. Focus on Core Business

Integrating print, mail, and distribution with a single vendor like Marketing.com frees up internal resources and lets staff concentrate efforts on strategic priorities and act on the real-time tracking, reporting, and analysis provided through a single vendor platform.

Scalability, state-of-the-art technology, and automated processes let you manage growth without operational bottlenecks or costly delays and without the need for in-house investment. Research from PricewaterhouseCoopers found that in-house print fulfillment is often more expensive than outsourcing due to hidden costs like equipment, storage, and payroll.

Your business becomes more agile and able to allocate funds to refine future campaigns, identify areas for improvement, or discover new opportunities. You can concentrate on product development, customer service, and exciting initiatives that can expand your relationships with your customers.

7. Enhanced Customer Experience Through Comprehensive Solutions

When brands distribute printed and kitted promotional materials to several locations, real-time tracking capabilities with an innovative print and fulfillment platform like Dot™ ensures centralized visibility across all sites. Real-time tracking and transparency of marketing collateral are crucial for brands and franchises launching national or multichannel promotions because they provide end-to-end visibility over the movement and delivery of materials across all locations. Transparency enables quick detection of issues such as shipment delays, misrouted packages, or inventory discrepancies.

Dot™ supports pick and pack automation that streamline packing workflows and reduce manual errors. Having up-to-date inventory management prevents stockouts or promotional collateral backlogs. It’s easy for companies to tailor the platform to specific needs and scale up and down as promotion signage and print marketing collateral demand fluctuates.

Case Study: A large national athletic footwear and sportwear brand wanted a print and distribution partner to deliver quality marketing collateral that is environmentally friendly without sacrificing quality. Discover how Marketing.com came through.

Conclusion

Running your entire print, mailing, and fulfillment services through one vendor like Marketing.com lets you leverage the latest innovations and technologies without investments in equipment. Rather than committing resources to training staff and diverting them to inefficient, manual tasks, working through one vendor frees and empowers your employees to expand on existing successes and cultivate new strategies.

Get started today with Marketing.com and explore the ways to exceed customer expectations and recognize savings at every stage.

The U.S. Postal Service has filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) of mailing postage increases to take effect July 13, 2025. This will result in an expected increase in commercial Marketing Mail postage of 7.4% across mailing services that include direct mail campaigns that send mail pieces such as flyers, circulars, newsletters, bulletins, catalogs, and even small parcels. While the overall average increase to send many of these pieces for nonprofit Marketing Mail will likely be near the 7.4–7.8% range seen for commercial Marketing Mail, certain nonprofit flat rates at the 5-Digit/SCF level are increasing by over 20%.

How Will Postage Increases Impact Print Companies and Marketers

These increases are putting a strain on print companies and marketers that deploy direct mail or rely on print packaging. Even an increase in postage costs of a few cents per piece can make a dramatic impact on earnings for these businesses. Add in the rising costs of paper, ink, and other print materials, and the ongoing discussions and negotiations concerning tariffs, and it’s understandable that these companies feel overwhelmed by the increases.

However, all is not doom and gloom. This isn’t the first time that direct mail marketers and brands have been confronted with postage increases and – spoiler alert – there will be more coming over the next few years as the USPS strives to avoid projected budget shortfalls. So instead of cutting back and reducing the amount of mail they plan to send, marketers should take a proactive approach and set campaigns before the new rates take effect, introduce automated and technology-fueled strategies for savings from greater efficiencies, and seize on saving presented by USPS mail promotions.

To remain flexible to deal with the postage increases and tariff disruption, brands and businesses with tight print budgets are turning to partners like Marketing.com to review and optimize their direct mail and print marketing efforts.

Why USPTO Postal Rates Are Increasing

As an independent federal agency, the USPS is mandated to be self-financing and to serve every American community through the affordable, reliable and secure delivery of mail and packages to 169 million addresses six and often seven days a week. Unfortunately, in 2020, the USPS projected that it would accrue $160 billion in losses over the next decade due to competition, structural challenges, declining mail volumes, rising costs, and legislative burdens such as the requirement to pre-fund retiree health benefits.

As a result, in March of 2021, a 10-year transformation plan, Delivering for America was launched to restore long-term financial sustainability. The plan calls for increasing the application of technological innovations throughout the postal network, dramatically improving service across all mail and shipping categories, and revenue improvements that include regular postal rate increases.

The jury is out as to whether these increases will result in USPS reaching its goal or if by making it more expensive to send mail, they will drive businesses to find digital solutions or cut back on direct mail campaigns. One thing to keep in mind is that digital and social media advertising has also become more expensive, and that even with rising postage rates direct mail delivers an astounding ROI that exceeds 112% which is higher than many digital channels like email, paid search, and social media.

How Will Tariffs Affect Print Mailing Costs

Although the extent that the proposed tariffs with China and Canada will have on the U.S. print industry is not currently known, it’s clear that if they are imposed then disruptions to the supply chain as well as increased costs for paper and pulp will pose a substantial challenge to profitmaking. These materials represent the most significant and fixed costs for marketers and brands that depend on direct mail to attract and convert customers.

The U.S. printing and packaging industry relies heavily on the trade of both raw materials and finished products with Canada to meet market demands. As of today, Canada supplies 80 percent of North America’s pulp and paper, producing approximately 2.1 million metric tons in 2023 compared to just 409,000 metric tons in the U.S.

It’s not only paper raw materials that will be affected by the tariffs. Costs for aluminum and steel will also increase, raising the price for manufacturing lithographic plates that are essential for offset printing. Print companies will be confronted with the choice of reduced revenue or passing higher costs on to customers.

China supplies roughly 12 percent of U.S. paper and 30 to 40 percent of lithographic plates used by domestic print shops and proposed tariffs could increase production costs for specialty inks, films, and machinery components coming into the country from China. In addition, if China retaliates with tariffs of its own on U.S. products, then it will drive prices up and pose logistical challenges.

Tariffs will also increase delays as customs compliance pose other logistical challenges with production timelines. This is especially critical because it’s not unusual for print and packaging materials and finished products to cross the U.S.-Canada border several times before going to market.

How to Navigate Rising Costs

These postal rate increases and tariffs pose significant challenges for businesses using direct mail, printed marketing collateral, and packaging. Working with a comprehensive print and shipping logistics partner like Marketing.com enables them to overcome any obstacles and enhance direct mail ROI for their operations. Here are six strategies to consider:

1. Optimize the format of mailing pieces – Downsize envelopes from flats to large letters or postcards, use lighter stocks to stay under 1 oz. weight, and incorporate tri-folds and folded self-mailers with tear-off reply cards that are lighter than bulky catalogs. Keep designs simple and enhance interactivity through digital channels using QR codes or PURLs.
2. Take advantage of USPS postal discounts and promotions – The USPS encourages businesses to save money on postage costs through a variety of discount programs and promotions that reward businesses for creating direct mail campaigns that meet program guidelines. The main discounts available include bulk mail discounts, Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM), nonprofit rates, and special promotional incentives.
3. Leverage data for efficiency and accuracy – Create and send mail that pinpoints the recipient based on their history, demographics, and lifestyle information to personalize the mailer, making it more relevant and meaningful. Clean lists before sending mail to eliminate duplicate addresses and ensure that pieces meet USPS addressing standards, thereby reducing the likelihood of returned mail.
4. Conform supply chains to mitigate tariffs – Diversify supply lines with domestic companies to avoid import costs or source materials from countries not impacted by tariffs. Negotiate with vendors to lock in pre-tariff pricing.
5. Investigate ways to boost revenue – Drive consumers to digital marketplaces with QR codes or PURLs printed on mailers. Personalize landing pages with offers crafted to engage consumers based on data collected across digital and social media channels. Embed AR triggers in mailers that let consumers view products in their home.

5. Engage in cost management tactics – Brands and marketers can adopt several cost management practices to reduce their exposure to postal rate increases. These include bulk mailing and presorting by ZIP code, as well as the automation of mailing processes using postage meters and folder inserts to minimize or eliminate manual intervention. Smaller companies can pool mailings with other businesses to reach higher presort tiers and achieve greater savings with high-volume mailings.
6. Plan ahead and be prepared – Increases in postal rates don’t have to handicap brands and marketers if strategies are in place to accommodate higher postage rates and potential supply chain disruptions. Negotiate prices with the understanding that postage, paper, inks and print supplies, and printer equipment will be more expensive and compare costs for warehousing materials versus purchasing as needed. Allocate budget buffers wherever possible to handle the volatility of the tariff landscape.

How Marketing.com Helps

Marketing.com provides a full suite of printing and mailing services that provide ways to control postage and print costs despite the volatility caused by postal increases and potential tariffs. We provide end-to-end solutions, including sourcing, storing, designing, and printing mailers that capitalize on USPS programs and promotions, as well as maximizing your data to create personalized connections with the people you want to reach. Here’s how we can help your business:

• Strategic Sourcing and Tariff Mitigation: As one of the largest print and fulfillment companies in the U.S, Marketing.com works closely with domestic suppliers to bypass or reduce the impact of tariffs and identify cost-saving opportunities at every stage of direct mail campaigns, e-commerce packaging and kitting, and shipping.
• Production Optimization and Cost Efficiency: We leverage the most up-to-date technology to minimize waste and keep storage costs low through innovations like Print-on-Demand (POD) and Variable Data Printing (VDP), maximizing your data assets and ROI.
• National Network of Print, Warehouse, and Fulfillment Locations: Our tightly integrated network of locations provide fast and agile solutions to manage inventory and avoid disruptions to supply chains as they occur and to provide kitting and fulfillment that takes advantage of the best and least expensive shipping opportunities.
• Technology-Driven Print and Postage Solutions with Dot™: Our powerful print marketing platform centralizes all print procurement, mailing, and fulfillment workflows through a single, easy-to-use dashboard that provides real-time data, AI-enhanced efficiency, and data analytics, enabling real-time adjustments in response to tariffs.

Are you ready to take a proactive approach to navigating postage rates and managing your print and direct mail through tariff uncertainty? Contact Marketing.com’s experts to for com for a campaign review or cost optimization consultation.

Customer reactivation campaigns are a critical strategy for any company looking to rekindle relationships with inactive customers. Direct mail allows you to deliver personalized, tangible messages that remind customers of their past interactions with the brand and entice them to return with tailored offers and incentives at the right time.

Personalized Offers

Because you’ve had a prior relationship with your lapsed customer, chances are you have more information about them than just name and address. Data on their past purchases can be used to craft reactivation campaigns that build on their personal tastes and shopping habits. Variable data printing lets you easily swap out images and offers on direct mail pieces to customize the mail piece with photos, text, and calls to action. You can send a coupon or include a link to special offers for their favorite items or for accessories and let them know that you’ve missed them.

Exclusive Discounts and Promotions

Everyone likes to feel special and be noticed, and by creating direct mail reactivation campaigns with exclusive offers or invitations to VIP pre-sale events you make your customers feel pampered and valued. Provide early access to product launches or limited promotions that create a fear of missing out (FOMO) with attractive and appealing incentives tied to deadlines. You can also show them what they’ve been missing with discounted offers on products they’ve purchased in the past or use direct mail to reignite interest around the holidays or timed to coincide with special moments in the customer’s life like birthdays or anniversaries of first purchase.

Reminders of Past Purchases

Nudging lapsed customers back with reminders of past purchases can be especially effective with items that might need refills or have time expirations and direct mail reactivation campaigns that offer discounts for refills. You can use personalized and targeted direct mail messaging to recreate emotional connections with your brand and highlight the value of the relationship in terms of savings and/or value. Recommend complimentary products, to demonstrate your appreciation for their business.

Loyalty Program Invitations

Businesses like yours can leverage the past relationship with a lapsed customer that included a loyalty program in direct mail reactivation campaigns. You earned their loyalty once and you can do it again with direct mail reminders about unused points or exclusive member-only discounts and opportunities. Remind them of the value your loyalty program delivers for the items they purchase with rewards and make it easy for them to re-engage with your brand and the loyalty program. Welcome them back with double points or extra incentives that elevate them to higher reward tiers.

Personalized Recommendations

You have a unique opportunity to reconnect with your lapsed customers by using their past browsing and buying history to become their personal shopper and tailor product suggestions that are upgrades or accessories to previous purchases. You can time your direct mail send based on the frequency of engagements, time of year, or around significant milestones to place the focus on the customer and their needs. With the data you have on hand, you can segment lapsed customers and customize the mailing piece with variable data printing to enhance and highlight the relevance of the offer.

Interactive Gamified Elements

Add fun elements and make reactivation a unique enjoyable experience for your lapsed customers by adding gamification that captures attention or introducing digital interactivity though QR codes or PURLs printed on the direct mail piece. These elements add curiosity and make it almost impossible for the customer not to take the next step, whether it’s scratching off a section of the mailer to see the offer or using their smartphone to connect to a digital game where they can earn points or spin a wheel to claim a prize.

Stories and Testimonials

With the data available that you have about your client, you can develop relatable direct mail reactivation campaigns that resonate with them on emotional levels with engaging storytelling, testimonials from satisfied customer who share similar traits, and messaging that supports their lifestyle and reflect their priorities. The physical nature of direct mail immediately creates an emotional attachment that can be enhanced with a compelling narrative, impactful photos and images, and inspire lapsed customers to renew their relationship with your brand. This method of direct mail reactivation can be especially effective for health care products or gym memberships illustrating before and after.

Benefits of Direct Mail for Reactivation Campaigns

A reactivation direct mail campaign ramps up the already powerful impact of direct mail to help businesses get their messaging noticed, read, and acted upon. There are several reasons why you should include direct mail in every lapsed customer reactivation campaign.

• A tangible and physical connection is made with the lapsed customer the moment the mailbox is opened and the direct mail piece removed, held, and scanned and assessed quickly for value. It is at that moment that your brand has the opportunity to create a unique experience with bold colors, crisp messages, and direct mail coating and finishes that convey quality. No other marketing channel can make this impression.
• Direct mail customer reactivation campaigns get results, with higher a high return on investment (ROI) that drives lapsed customers to reengage. The ability to spur action through the use of personal data and direct mail customization provides brands like yours with creative ways to rebuild relationships and increase reacquisition efforts. You can send hyper-targeted discount promotions and special offers that are relevant and valuable.
• The ability to make your reactivation direct mail stand out with different shapes and sizes; to tailor the way it feels in the customer’s hand; and to add interactive elements like scratch off panels or QR codes build on the customer’s brand familiarity. Creating a fuller sensory experience with colors, coatings, and even soothing aromas triggers memories, reminds the customer of the reasons they trusted your brand in the first place and brings them back again.
• A direct mail reactivation campaign can be extremely cost-effective as it builds on your existing relationships and lets you precisely target your message to your lapsed customer based on what you already know about him or her. You can create a highly personalized invitation to your lapsed customer that makes them feel special and appreciated and deliver the mail piece directly into their mailbox where it can’t be missed.

Examples of Effective Customer Reactivation Campaigns

Direct mail reactivation is a marketing channel used by retail and ecommerce brands, businesses in several industries can benefit from a well-planned and strategically implemented lapsed customer direct mail campaign.

Retail

Brick and mortar retailers find direct mail particularly effective for targeting local lapsed customers with personalized coupons and offers that can be redeemed in-store based on past purchases or seasonal relevance.

Ecommerce

Ecommerce businesses can use direct mail to send abandoned cart reminders and include time-sensitive like limited time discounts triggered based on previously purchased perishable products that may need replenishment or replacement.

Finance

Finance organizations can send tailored direct mail pieces based on inactivity periods or anniversaries of products purchased or services rendered. They can use reactivation direct mail to remind customers of uncompleted loan applications or provide special interest rates.

Hospitality

Restaurants, hotels, and other hospitality properties can provide exclusive booking offers and complimentary service upgrades with reactivation direct mail to bring customers back. Personalized direct mail can serve as loyalty point reminders or include incentives to redeem existing points.

Education

Educational institutions can use direct mail to reengage with alumni who have not responded to other marketing communications or have let their annual donations lapse with personalized invitations to celebrations and reunions. They can also send notifications to potential students triggered by missed registration deadlines and campus events

Subscription-based Services

Subscription-based services can send reactivation direct mail after a subscription has lapsed or when a credit card used for payment expires with offers for free trials, extended discount periods, or free subscription upgrades. They can also use direct mail to alert lapsed subscribers to new features or services that can be enjoyed on a trial basis.

Home Services

Because so many home services are contracted seasonally, businesses that provide landscaping, home repairs, cleaning, pest control, and HVAC services use direct mail to trigger relevant offers to prior customers. Direct mail is also an excellent way to reach out to new homeowners with welcome offers and new customer discounts.

Every business is bound to lose customers over time due to lost interest, because they moved, or they had an unpleasant experience. Reactivation direct mail is your opportunity to win some of those customers back with strategies that use personalized promotions, knowledge of past purchases, interactive print mailers, personalized recommendations, and loyalty programs. Contact a direct mail reactivation expert at Marketing.com today and we’ll connect the dots to help you reengage with dormant customers.