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Direct mail now more impactful than ever!

By |2024-06-26T11:48:42+00:00June 26th, 2024|

The latest quarterly results from JICMAIL reveal another surge in the effectiveness of mail marketing in Q1 2024. The research finds that six percent of all mail types prompted a purchase, two percent higher than the same period in 2023. This increase underscores the growing impact of mail in driving consumer actions, with 46% of these purchases fulfilled online and 32% in-store, reflecting the omnichannel nature of mail. Increasing Mail Interaction and Attention Direct Mail, Door Drops, and Partially Addressed Mail saw a year-on-year increase in interaction frequency, resulting in more ad impressions in Q1 2024 compared to the previous year. Mail's attention efficiency stands out, with Direct Mail garnering 134 seconds of attention per piece across household members over [...]

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Response rates, ROI, AOV and CPA of DM revealed!

By |2024-05-08T18:04:18+00:00May 8th, 2024|

The latest JICMAIL Response Tracker insights reveal that DM is still very much a marketing channel that achieves results…. Warm direct mail—mail shots sent to existing customers—command on average an 8% response rate. This level of engagement is not only on par with but often exceeds the effectiveness of other media channels. Warm direct mail's success, particularly notable in sectors like medical where it reaches a whopping 26%% response rate, underscores its potential in targeted communications. This method proves especially effective in maintaining and enhancing customer loyalty, offering personalised content that resonates well with the audience. The high response rates are indicative of the trust and rapport that brands have built over time with their existing customer base. Cold Direct [...]

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We are Leading with Innovation: Shaping the Future of Data Hygiene

By |2024-05-03T07:45:54+00:00May 3rd, 2024|

The winds of change are blowing a gale around data regulation. We’ve potentially got two key pieces of incoming legislation that will make a difference to how businesses source, store and use their data. The first is the EU AI Act (which although not directly applicable to the UK is likely to form the framework for a UK specific act) , and the second is the UK GDPR - Data Protection, Digital Information (DPDI) Act. Adapting to New Regulations You can find out more about both acts here: https://www.thesoftwarebureau.com/eu-passes-ai-act/ and here: https://www.thesoftwarebureau.com/whats-going-on-everything-you-need-to-know-about-dpdi-in-the-medium-term/. When these new regulations come into force, businesses face the dual challenge of compliance and optimisation. The EU AI Act is set to impose stringent requirements on AI [...]

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Direct mail set to grow… again

By |2024-04-24T08:55:10+00:00April 24th, 2024|

According to the latest IPA Bellwether Report, the UK's marketing landscape is witnessing a notable increase in direct marketing budgets – the 8th consecutive period of growth. This uplift is part of a broader positive adjustment in overall marketing spend, indicative of an improving economic backdrop and a proactive approach to recession recovery. However, as one of only two channels that posted significant uplifts the inference is that confidence in direct marketing, particularly direct mail, continues to flourish. Tangibility and Trust Direct mail possesses a unique attribute that many modern advertising channels lack: tangibility. This physical nature of direct mail creates a sensory experience for the recipient. It’s something you can touch and feel, often encouraging a more memorable connection [...]

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Embracing Automation for Growth and Innovation in the Direct Marketing Industry – a pro-people approach

By |2024-04-05T11:14:05+00:00April 5th, 2024|

The direct marketing industry, traditionally slower to automate compared to other sectors, is standing on the cusp of a transformative era driven by technological advancements. With new research from Pearson predicting a net increase of 390,000 jobs by 2027 in England alone, due to automation and augmentation, the industry faces both challenges and opportunities. The Role of Automation in Direct Marketing Automation in direct marketing is not about replacing human tasks with machines. It's about enhancing the efficiency, accuracy, and reach of marketing campaigns through the use of tools that automate data processing and cleansing, significantly reducing the time and cost associated with manual interventions. From postal sortation to address data enhancement, automation can streamline operations, improve compliance, and open [...]

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Direct mail effectiveness soars!

By |2023-10-03T09:17:46+00:00October 3rd, 2023|

In the ever-evolving landscape of marketing channels, email and social media often hog the spotlight. However, the continued resurgence of mail is also hitting the headlines.  In Q2 2023, the effectiveness of the mail channel reached its highest point in a year and a half, with an impressive 31 percent of mail driving positive commercial outcomes for brands. Mail's Remarkable Resurgence One of the most striking findings of Q2 2023 is that mail's effectiveness as a commercial marketing channel saw a year-on-year growth of nine percent. This growth propelled the proportion of mail items prompting actions among consumers to its highest level. This surge in effectiveness reaffirms that mail is far from obsolete in the digital age. A Comprehensive Customer [...]

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Direct marketing spend at highest level since 2006

By |2023-08-02T10:08:51+00:00August 2nd, 2023|

The ongoing cost-of-living crisis has had a big impact on media spend, the latest IPA Bellwether report reveals. Main media budgets encompassing TV, online, radio and press have tanked, whilst direct marketing, events and sales promotions have soared, reflecting reactive change by UK businesses in response to the economic climate. Sales promotions achieved the highest growth rate (13.4 percent), its biggest uplift in more than two decades of survey data. This indicates that marketers are keen to support their customers by providing them value for money, through offers and deals. Events also performed well, experiencing an increase of 9.3 percent. The growth is attributed to a desire from brands to have closer, more personal relationships with their customers. Underpinning this [...]

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The Software Bureau adds Baby Mailing Preference Service to SwiftCore

By |2023-03-09T10:07:00+00:00March 9th, 2023|

The Software Bureau has integrated Baby Mailing Preference Service (BMPS) to its SwiftCore suppression data portfolio to give organisations specialising in baby related products and services more control over their direct marketing. BMPS, a not-for-profit service managed by the DMA, is a specific preference service which enables bereaved parents to opt-out of receiving baby-oriented direct marketing communications including mail, email, SMS and phone calls. Most parents and parents-to-be are happy to receive communications from relevant brands at this exciting time, but in the UK sadly one in five pregnancies fall victim to a miscarriage and almost 3,000 a year result in a still birth. The BMPS enables those affected by miscarriage and stillbirth the opportunity to stop unwanted communications at [...]

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Is now the time for innovation in the direct mailing industry? 

By |2023-01-23T13:36:44+00:00January 23rd, 2023|

As many of our network will know, in December we carried out a research study investigating the automation opportunity for the sector. The overwhelming finding was that there is significant appetite to innovate particularly in terms of the use of AI. For the sector, it is therefore good news that the UK currently ranks first in Europe, and third in the World, behind the US and China in developing AI technologies. Moreover, the Government is keen for the UK to maintain this position. Investment continues to be high. As part of this in July last year The National Robotarium at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh opened its doors. It is the UK’s hub for robotics and artificial intelligence and has [...]

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