Mintel Comperemedia: Direct mail marketing is on the rise
Mintel Comperemedia: Direct mail marketing is on the rise By: Mark Haslan Overnight Prints
Despite the United States Postal Service’s recent reports that general mail volumes being down, direct mail is on the rise, according to direct marketing intelligence firm Mintel Comperemedia.
In the first quarter of 2010, the firm reports that more than six billion direct mail pieces were received by consumers. This number is up from 5.3 billion in the fourth quarter of 2009, a 16 percent growth quarter-over-quarter.
The credit card and insurance industries were the strongest drivers of this growth, reports Mintel. The direct mail pieces from the credit card industry increased by 36 percent quarter-over-quarter, from 951 million mailers in at the end of 2009 to 1.2 billion in the first quarter of 2010.
Insurance mailings were also up, though not as much. According to Mintel, the insurance sector increased its direct mail output by 8 percent, sending out nearly 3 billion mailers in the first quarter.
Traditionally, the top three sectors for direct mail output have been credit cards, insurance and mortgage. During the economic recession, credit card and mortgage direct mail output dove considerably, while insurance has continued to grow. As the recession slowly subsides, credit, mortgage and other sectors are seeing rebounds in direct mail output, relays Mintel.
Insurance mailings currently dominate the industry, accounting for 43 percent of all direct mail efforts, with two times the amount of insurance pieces reaching consumers as credit cards, according to Mintel.
Meanwhile, telecommunications direct mail has outpaced mortgage, and it is now in the top three sectors. Telecommunications providers, such as Comcast, use direct mail to send customers bills as well as promotional offers.
"While it is unlikely that we will get back to the mailing levels during the boom years, there is a good deal to be optimistic about," said Andrew Davidson, senior vice president of Mintel Comperemedia. "The insurance and credit card industries still have room for growth as they expand their marketing efforts and, as the recovery gains momentum, we can once again anticipate growth in the mortgage and loans sector."
The telecommunications and credit card industries have seen a tremendous amount of success using transpromotional mail. By combining transactional mail, like bills or invoices, with promotions, like coupons or vouchers, the telecommunications and credit card industries are able to generate highly targeted and relevant messages for their customers.
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