Direct mail booming at Estonian Post
Estonian Post said today that its direct mail sales have been booming, growing 19% last year compared to 2010. The growth of direct mail more than doubled that seen in Estonia’s advertising market as a whole, the national postal service said.
Total direct marketing revenue in 2011 within Estonia stood at EUR 6.6m, about 8.5% of the entire advertising market in the Baltic Republic, according to figures assembled by market research agency TNS Emor.
Estonian Post’s head of infologistics, Toomas Türk, said his company’s targeted direct mail volumes grew by 60% in 2011, while in the first quarter of 2012 the growth reached 104% compared to the same period last year.
In particular, Estonian businesses using direct mail are increasingly aiming at the right target groups of consumers through personalised approaches supported by the use of data on demographic characteristics, interests and habits, the Post said.
“Consumer-based direct mail campaigns have given best results,” said Türk. “Selection of recipients plays a key role – the company can determine precisely the target group according the customer wishes and their products or services.”
Estonian Post said its consumer survey of 2011 showed that Estonians were much more tending towards a positive or neutral view of direct mail, rather than having a negative approach to receiving advertising materials in their mail.
Some of the most effective direct mail are non-traditional types, the Post said, such as those allowing consumers to actually try the products. A particular favourite amongst consumers recently has been a campaign in which customers were able to try out Milka chocolate.
Estonian Post said that its survey had also shown that direct mail influences Estonian consumers the most out of any marketing channels, with a third of people saying it was the most influential for their purchasing decisions.
