Spending on door-drop campaigns has held firm in the face of political uncertainty and a further fall in volumes, signalling that brands are increasing their use of targeting techniques.
According to the DMA’s “Annual Door Drop Industry Report 2020”, annual volumes have fallen from 5.4 billion last year, to 4.8 billion, representing a two year decline of nearly one billion.
The number of door drops delivered per household, per week has also continued to drop to an average of 3.3 this year; in 2015, the average door drop frequency stood at 4.22 per household.
However, annual revenues spent on door drops actually inched up to just under £259m for the year, compared to £258m in 2018.
The report states that continued improvements in the use of data, planning and strategy across the marketing industry have improved the medium’s efficiency, allowing brands to increase their use of data-driven door-drops.
The latest insights from Jicmail’s Mail Media Metrics show that, despite the reduction in the number of items households are receiving, the reach and frequency for these items remain strong. For every 100 items sent, 105 people are reached, while each item is read or looked at by nearly three people (2.8).
The immediate action for almost two-thirds of people (65%) when they receive a door drop is to read/look at it right away. The average lifespan of a door drop is 5.6 days, although for some sectors this can go beyond 28 days.
DMA head of insight Tim Bond said: “After a challenging year in 2018, it was hoped that 2019 might be a year of positive change for the door drop industry. However, continued uncertainty about Brexit and a General Election just before Christmas meant it was another tricky 12 months for many brands. This is reflected in the results of this year’s analysis, with volumes reducing while spending remained steady.
“Looking forward to 2020, exactly what the impact of coronavirus means for door drops we will have to wait and see, but I believe it to be an opportunity for a medium that has proved itself time and time again. Whether it’s engaging new customers or fostering loyalty in existing ones, door drops offer an effective, tactile and scalable channel.”
In May, Royal Mail launched a raft of incentives for brand owners to sign up for door-drop marketing campaigns, making its service far more accessible for a range of companies.
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