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DIRECT MAIL BOOSTS ONLINE COMMERCE

Online retailers and marketers gearing up for the holiday season need to consider two pieces of research from comScore that show important consumer shopping and shipping habits.

According to the “2007 Multi-Channel Direct Mail Study,” direct mail recipients were nearly twice as likely to purchase from a retail website as those who received only an Internet communication. And when the mailpiece was a catalog, the results were even better — influencing more than two-thirds of shoppers to visit the site. That traffic created a 163 percent increase in sales over those who did not receive a catalog.

Catalog recipients typically buy more items (4.1 compared to 3.2) and spend more money ($88 compared to $69), the study showed.

“Catalogs can be used to acquire new customers and educate a new audience about brands and products because they allow for longer messages and more detailed information,” said Anita Bizzotto, chief marketing officer and executive vice president of the Postal Service. “And if they grab attention or have great pass-along value, direct mail and catalogs can reach household decision makers.”

That same research showed that catalogs jump-start holiday shopping. In November, catalog recipients were significantly more likely than non-catalog recipients to have shopped online for holiday gifts.

Consumers were equally clear in wanting a choice on how to receive their online orders. Package delivery research found that 63 percent of online shoppers want an option to select the delivery company for their packages. A retailer’s favorability improves with the option to choose. Six out of 10 shoppers said they have a better opinion of companies if they could always select their preferred delivery company.

About 28 percent of business owners and 12 percent of consumers who shop online do not buy from companies that don’t offer a choice. Almost half of consumers who selected a delivery company chose the U.S. Postal Service (46 percent), according to the research.

“Mail and the Internet do indeed work together,” said Bridget O’Toole, executive vice president at comScore.  “Successful marketers are using catalogs to attract more shoppers and to convert them to buyers.”