Online retailers Hayneedle, Wayfair, HelloFresh, and many more are using direct mail marketing to acquire new customers for their ecommerce operations. Direct mail may be a traditional, old-school way to market, but it can also be extremely effective.
An omnichannel retailer located in the northwestern United States has been using shared direct mail for a few years. Shared direct mail is a subcategory of direct mail wherein advertisers gang coupons together in one envelope or circular to reduce postage costs.
For a recent campaign, the company mailed 100,000 coupons to homeowners across two counties. The shared direct mail campaign resulted in 2,457 sales worth roughly $200,000 in revenue. All this for a $3,500 investment.
With a return on investment of, perhaps, $57 for each dollar spent, shared direct mail is certainly something to consider in your ecommerce marketing mix.
Target Your Direct Mail List
Email marketing is strongly influenced by direct mail strategies. Many of the same tactics digital marketers employ for email can be applied to direct mail and shared direct mail marketing.
With this in mind, target direct mail campaigns at those consumers who would be the most likely to purchase from your online store, just like you might segment and target email marketing campaigns. For example, Wayfair sends shared direct mail offers to folks who have just moved.
The offer says, “Welcome to the Neighborhood,” and provides a promotional code for an extra 10 percent off of a new Wayfair order. The products Wayfair sells, including furniture and home decor, are often helpful for someone who has just moved into a new home.
There are many direct mail firms that target specific sorts of customers, like homeowners with a particular household income, and there are many direct mail list companies capable of targeting very specific profiles, such as folks with a particular hobby or who have just moved into a new home.
When you use direct mail to acquire new ecommerce customers, be sure to target the list.