Direct Mail: Engage, spark loyalty and drive ROI

Direct mail’s got that magic touch—personal, tactile, and impossible to ignore. It grabs attention, builds trust, and is proven to deliver strong ROI.

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Guide

How to create an effective direct mail campaign

Personalised, tactile and powerful

Direct mail lets you reach the right people and build real connections with them. It's personal, trusted, and proven to get people engaged. Plus, it gives brands a chance to get creative and stand out in ways that their audience remembers.

Direct mail

See results beyond impressions

Sources:

JICMAIL: Mail – The Super Touchpoint

WARC: Driving effectiveness with direct mail

7.2:1

av ROI £7.21 for every £1 spent for warm retail direct mail

11p

average cost per minute of recipient attention

33%

of direct mail leads to a commercial action

4.3

av interactions per piece of direct mail

8 days

av length of time addressed mail stays in the home

134s

direct mail achieves 134 seconds of attention over a 28-day period

Don't just take our word for it

We’ve learned from many years of experience and extensive research, that as long as our work is well thought-out, highly targeted, creative, relevant and timely, mail is going to continue to prove a highly successful medium for us.

Andrea Locatelli

Sky Creative Director, Through-The-Line.

It’s become much harder to identify those customers responding to email and there are customer segments it just doesn’t work for, but mail is cutting through here. This test has shown that this channel can work for us – especially with those customers who are ignoring messages sent by email or SMS.

Lewis Fraser

Head of CRM, PrettyLittleThing

Mail is very effective for us. Because we are focusing on high users, we wanted to create something that was personal and written on paper. Something that they could hold, think about, and return to. A mailing lands on their doormat and makes an impact. It is something they can’t ignore.

Louise Richardson

Water Efficiency Analyst, Northumbrian Water

Benefits of using direct mail

Proven to drive epic results for brands

Many brands rely on direct mail for delivering results, achieving an impressive ROI of over £7.20 for every £1 spent. It stays in the home for an average of 8 days, capturing 134 seconds of recipients’ attention over a 28-day period.

Physically connect with your audience

Mail can physically and personally connect your brand with your audience. It literally puts your brand and message into customers’ hands and makes it relevant to them.

Targeted and personal

Data helps you zero in on exactly who should receive your direct mail. You can customise the content for each person or target specific audience segments, making your campaigns hit the mark every time. It's all about working smarter to get better results.

Can be a sustainable media choice

Mail can be a sustainable choice. If you make the right, informed decisions. Done in the right way using the right materials, mail can be part of a circular, regenerative economy.

Trusted among all age groups

While fake news and misinformation may thrive online, consumers continue to have confidence in mail, building positive brand perception. 71% of people say they completely trust the mail they receive.

Creative and unique

Mail is a unique channel with endless creative possibilities—helping you stand out, capture attention, build brand value, and stay top of mind.

Explore other mail types

Customer mail

Partially addressed mail

Door drops

Catalogues

Programmatic mail

Mail incentives

Whether you're exploring mail for the first time, trialling new formats, increasing volumes, or launching a regular campaign, Royal Mail has incentive schemes to support your growth.

These offers deliver valuable postage credits designed to help you achieve more while keeping costs down. From newcomers to experienced marketers, each incentive is crafted to promote smarter, more efficient use of mail.

Browse the options to find the best fit for your business and get in touch to unlock savings, boost engagement, and elevate your marketing results.

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