Millennial’s’ Response to Direct Mail Makes it a Powerful Option

10 Surprising Statistics about Millennials and Direct Mail

It was estimated that millennials in the U.S. alone will would spend $200 billion in 2017. In 2018, they will have the most spending power of any generation. Capturing their attention is a topic every marketer has considered or researched. When people think of the Millennial generation, the first thing that probably comes to mind is tech-savvy, social media-engrossed teens and twenty year olds. How do we attract a generation who are seemingly glued to their phones, self-obsessing with selfies and addicted to social media? Well, you may be surprised to learn that Millennial’s response to a rather old fashioned marketing method, Direct Mail is more powerful and effective than you think. Why? Because this generation isn’t made up of just kids anymore, nor are they completely self-obsessed.

They’re now between the ages of 19 to 36 and more than half of the older Millennials are married and half have children.

Sure, they are still obsessed with all things digital, owning an average of 7.1 devices, touching their smartphones 43 times per day. But that doesn’t mean they’re not experiencing digital overload and can be compelled by other communication methods.

In fact, many Millennials are influenced by direct mail, in some cases favoring it over other communication or marketing means. Here are some statistics about Millennials and direct mail you should consider when devising your marketing strategy:

1. 75% of Millennials find that the mail they receive is valuable. (Source)
2. 90% of Millennials said they would prefer postal delivery over email when receiving promotional items. (Source)
3. 25% of Millennials consider reading direct mail a leisure activity. (Source)
4. 63% of Millennials who responded to a direct mail piece within the past three months made a purchase. (Source)
5. 92% of Millennials are influenced by direct mail to make purchase decision as opposed to 78% influenced by email. (Source)
6. 82 percent of Millennials read direct mail from retail brands and more than half (54 percent) look forward to receiving hard-copy retail catalogs in the mail. (Source)
7. 73% of Millennials use direct mail coupons when making purchases. (Source)
8. 90 percent of Millennials think direct mail advertising is reliable. (Source)
9. Those ages 18 to 21 read mailings immediately 62 percent of the time. (Source)
10. 80% of Millennials want brands to entertain them, and they find direct mail entertaining. (Source)

When thinking about how to reach the generation of social media and technology, don’t rule out direct mail. It could very well be the key to reaching them.