An optimised door drop was blindingly effective

56% conversion rate
21% increase in sales

Background

Window-dressing specialist Hillarys had set ambitious lead-generation targets - a significant challenge in a mature and highly competitive home-improvement market. 

The task was to develop a smarter, more optimised door drop  model that could maximise return on investment. It wasn’t about scale, it was about precision.

Solution

Working with their partner Whistl, a data-driven, precision-targeted door drop strategy was engineered to maximised efficiency and return on investment.

The starting point was predictive targeting - Whistl started by scoring every UK postcode sector based on its profiling metrics as well as historical performance over the previous year.  The scores were then weighted for the maximum response.  

Campaigns were deployed only in the highest-propensity areas, with frequency and past performance carefully managed to avoid waste and fatigue. Real-world factors such as diary availability of advisors and performance over time tweaked the modelling to maximise efficiency.  

An agile approach for selection was used.  For each campaign, Whistl reviewed the performance at sector level, considering frequency, position in the model and the performance over time. Under-performing or fatigued sectors were removed, while emerging high-potential areas were introduced, keeping the model dynamic and responsive.

To ensure the door drop disrupted from the doormat, an unmissable A4 4p format was used. It featured a ‘summer sale with 50% off’ headline supported by an additional 10% incentive for part of the volume and a competition to win back the value of the order for the other half.  Messaging built in the following door drop to be "Hurry, Sale Ending Soon" call-to-action to drive urgency.

Inside the door drop, copy focused on the benefits of the range for the summer weather e.g. keeping cool and blocking/softening the light as well as exterior products like awnings and pergolas. This ensured that the door drop was seasonally relevant, not just about the sale. Messaging was kept consistent across all channels to ensure a unified brand experience.  

The creative was rigorously tested using 3M Visual Attention Software. Heatmaps and gaze-sequence analysis confirmed that the brand and headline offer were seen within the first few seconds, followed by the urgency message, ensuring key information landed immediately.

As well as the website and telephone number, a QR code was added to the front, inside and back of the creative to give consumers multiple ways to respond.

Finally, independent econometrics were used to measure the incremental impact of the channel beyond direct response alone. This enabled Hillarys to understand the true contribution of door drops to online activity via the website, as well as their broader role in building brand awareness through consistent presence in millions of UK homes.

Results

Hillarys’ optimised door drop delivered exceptional results:

  • A 56% conversion of lead to sale, demonstrating that the leads were very high quality.
  • An 8% increase in leads YOY
  •  A 21% increase in sales YOY
  • The introduction of a QR code provided incremental leads from a younger audience.  

Source: DMA Award Entry 2025. Unaddressed Print and Door Drop