Building connections

Spending more time at home during lockdown has resulted in a huge upswing in the amount of engagement customers are giving to physical mail, according to our latest research.

Customers engaged with 96 per cent of all mail during the first lockdown. In fact, 88 per cent of people said they paid as much or more attention to mail during lockdown. And they interacted with each item of mail an average of 4.5 times.

There was also a 70 per cent year on year increase in the number of people going online as a result of something they read in a mailing. The growing appeal impacted all age groups, with growing levels of engagement among the young. Just under one in four (24 per cent) of those that did engage with mail more in lockdown were in the 18-34-year-old bracket.

The move comes as local businesses place growing importance on keeping in touch with customers during lockdown. With a large percentage of the population currently spending a lot of time at home, and with this trend set to continue, the impact of mail is predicted to be greater than ever.

The authority and trustworthiness of mail has also been recognised by Government – sending key communications via letter during the pandemic. We were entrusted with delivering the letter from the Prime Minister to every household in the UK at the start of the coronavirus lockdown.

Amanda Griffiths, head of communications planning Royal Mail MarketReach, said: ‘It has never been a more important time for brands to strengthen their relationships and build connections with their customers.

‘The pandemic has meant that home has become and will remain an important and safe place for people creating the ideal environment for them to engage with direct mail more deeply than ever.

‘Now is the perfect time for brands to deepen their customer relationships and drive revenue through mail.’