According to the most recent quarterly results from Jicmail, 40% of website visits prompted by mail converted into online purchases in the fourth quarter 2023, and 6.5% of mail (including direct mail, business mail, partially-addressed mail and door drops) prompted a purchase in the Christmas trading period, with half of these purchases completed online.
The overall mail response figure was up from 4.8% in the same quarter of 2022, reflecting the shift in online shopping to e-commerce, with 3.3% of mail now driving an online purchase. During the recent quarter, 8.4% of mail prompted a website visit, 4.8% an account look-up and 3.3% an online purchase. This purchase rate reflects a healty 40% conversion rate from site visit to purchase, according to Jicmail.
Additional digital interactions now tracked by Jicmail also reveal that mail prompts online searches (2.6% of mail), emails to advertisers (1.1%) and app download and usage (1%).
Mail’s role in driving sales in physical retail stores is also effective, with 2.3% of mail prompting an in-store purchase in Q4 2023, suggesting that ‘real-life brand experiences’ still play an important role for consumers, with even ‘digital’ brands such as Asos and Deliveroo opening physical stores in 2023.
Jicmail said that mail attention has stabilised on a quarterly basis, although it has still recorded year-on-year growth. The average piece of business mail is interacted with for over two and half minutes during a 28-day period, compared to one minute for the average door drop. However, door drops are still described as the most attention efficient mail channel.
