In the midst of overflowing email inboxes plagued by spam, Stannp.com, a direct mail supplier, reports a resurgence in the use of traditional communication methods.
A diverse range of businesses, including healthy food delivery services, fashion retailers, estate agencies, and utility companies, are revisiting the power of direct mail to re-engage customers and encourage them to complete their online purchases. This revival encompasses the sending of letters and postcards that incorporate QR codes for seamless digital access.
Some retailers have taken the creative approach of sending physical letters to remind customers about items abandoned in their online shopping carts, accompanied by images of the forsaken products.
According to 2023 data from Statista, Britons receive a staggering 6.9 billion spam emails daily.
Sam Heaton, the CEO of Stannp.com, commented, “The effectiveness of marketing emails has significantly declined, partly due to the deluge of spam. Consequently, businesses are reverting to more traditional communication methods.”
He added, “We have a plethora of communication options at our disposal. Our devices are constantly buzzing with notifications from email, SMS, WhatsApp, Messenger, and various social media channels. An increasing number of people are actively seeking ways to ‘unplug’ from digital communications, with the rising use of ad blockers and spam filters.”
Heaton noted that approximately 45% of emails are now categorized as spam, and consumers are becoming increasingly selective about which emails they continue to subscribe to. He explained, “It has become quite burdensome to continually delete emails, let alone read and take action.”
Stannp.com provides business-to-business direct mail services, assisting over 40,000 customers in boosting revenue, updating and retaining customer information, and soliciting reviews.
Heaton highlighted, “Junk mail today is equivalent to email spam for Generation Z. They seldom receive physical letters and react differently compared to older generations who recall a time before email.”
He pointed out that advertising mail has grown by 42% over the last five years, with the average advertising mail remaining in households for up to 17 days. In contrast, 57% of email addresses are abandoned due to the flood of junk email.
Established in June 2014, Stannp.com offers a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution for direct mail, delivering a fully digital, integrated approach to companies seeking to meet their direct mail requirements.
The company advocates the use of QR codes in their letters, which serve multiple functions. In addition to directing recipients to specific web pages, QR codes facilitate tracking, enabling businesses to monitor how many recipients have scanned the code and gather valuable campaign insights.
Sam Heaton concluded, “While it might be challenging to track the ‘open’ rate of direct mail, the Stannp.com platform allows you to track the mail you send from production, through the postal system, and provides delivery confirmation. On average, Stannp.com observes that our customers experience an average QR Code scan rate of over 15%. We have found that the call-to-action on the QR code is as influential as the subject line in an email.”
