A recent DMA study showed that consumers still prefer print.  Not only does print have a high open rate and about 60 percent of online brand searches stem from printed messages, but studies are also showing that people would actually prefer to receive print messages over digital messages such as email or text messages.

Today, we’re going to share with you a few of the direct mail statistics from a recent DMA Study that was shared on TheDrum.com:

• Forty six percent of people surveyed felt that print will not be replaced by digital messages in the future.
• Twenty six percent of direct mail pieces are kept by consumers to use in the future.
• Thirty-three percent of consumers take a negative view of brands that do not use print to communicate with them.
• While some direct mail pieces are kept to be used at a later date, 79 percent of the direct mail respondents take action immediately.
• Finally, 56 percent of people feel that printed communication is the most trustworthy form of communication from a brand.  (Source: – thedrum.com)

Finally, a Consumer Channel Preferences study showed that 75 percent of its respondents said they receive too many emails and because of this, they do not open many emails from brands.  Furthermore, over half of the respondents said they pay more attention to direct mail pieces than email messages — of the people who prefer direct mail, 32 percent say it was because they receive too much email, while 30 percent said they simply prefer to have a printed copy of information they need.

Direct mail offers a unique opportunity in today’s world of iPads, tablets, computers and smartphones — it offers a relief from the digital screen — something that more and more people are taking to be very valuable.  Print is powerful.

Timothy Freeman
President
Print & Graphic Communications Association