Live From DMD New York: Who Is Opening Direct Mail?

The number of people who responded to direct mail by visiting a Web site has decreased in the last year, according to a study by integrated marketing company Vertis. In 2001, 38% of people responded to direct mail from financial services, insurance companies and non-profits by visiting the Web. This year, it’s 30%.

Vertis, which studies consumers’ response to direct marketing and developing trends, uncovered a change in what people look for in direct mail. This year, they are less interested in entertainment-oriented pieces.

They respond well to discounted offers because people tend to do less discretionary spending this year, said Scott Marden, Vertis’ director of strategic marketing, who presented the findings at a session Tuesday. In 2002, 43% of recipients were more likely to open direct mail that contained a special offer or discount. In 2001, only 34% were.

Good timing counts, too. If something arrives in the mail that a consumer needs now, 68% are likely to open it, Marden said. Last year, 58% were.

Who responds best to direct mail? People born between 1977 and 1994 or Generation Y. “They have more purchasing power than any other group,” Marden said. But the creative had better grab them. Generation Y folks “have a short attention span,” he added.

Who should direct marketers avoid? Men 57 and older “are more likely to say, ‘I don’t read direct mail,'” Marden said.

Emerging markets are single women and adults between 34 and 39 years old, the study said.

Book and music clubs are increasing in popularity, while all other areas tend to be flat, according to the study. That’s because those club offers tend to be discounted, Marden said.

Baltimore-based Vertis, a marketing and production company, surveyed 2,000 adults contacted randomly by telephone, who were found to reflect the U.S. population demographically, according to U.S. Census Data.

Vertis has conducted direct marketing surveys since 2000.