One of the most useful things you can do for a marketer is to look at a mail piece from the other side of the mailbox as the recipient. I think about this often when looking at a stack of mail that piles up or gets saved or sent to me.
While waiting to get back home from PRINTING United Expo last week, I read through Lob’s 2026 State of Direct Mail Consumer Insights report. Yeah … I had a lot of time. Anyway, it’s based on a July survey of 2,000 adults. And as always, lots of food for thought about what to keep in mind in your mail campaigns in the months ahead.
Consumer expectations about what makes a mail piece relevant and worth acting on are changing. Here are 5 points based on stats in the report that stuck out to me:
1. Mail is a ritual but the “why” may be different
The vast majority of consumers regularly check and engage with their mail quickly, with 82% collecting it daily (or nearly so) and 87% reading it the same day. Sounds great, but the motivation may depend on their generational demographics.
Boomers? 73% get their mail every day, but only 53% for Gen Z.
So here’s an important question to think about: What will the recipient do with your mailer once they pick it up from their mailbox (or floor, etc.)? For example, if “it looks like a scam or mass-produced,” 54% responded that it gets thrown out. Paper, format, finishing, and personalization are all factors in whether it gets tossed or saved.
Read this full article on Printing Impressions, a publication of PRINTING United Alliance, ASI’s strategic partner.
