Royal Mail reveals direct mail dip

The Royal Mail has released figures which show that direct mail volumes and expenditure are falling.

Volumes for 2006 were down to 5.03 billion items, a 2.1 per cent drop on last year’s figures. Total expenditure dropped from GBP2.37bn in 2005 to GBP2.32bn in 2006. Quarterly comparisons show volumes for October to December 2006 down 4.6 per cent on the corresponding quarter last year.

Royal Mail officials remain bullish, however, despite the results.

Leonora Corden, head of market development at Royal Mail argues: “This is the result of companies across all sectors improving their targeting to create even more relevant and personal offers for their customers and prospects.”

The company cites a growing reliance on direct mail by a number of industry sectors, including building societies, charities, government, health, media and insurance. Also noticeable is a rise in the volume of direct mail sent to the 55-64 year old age group.