Tag: direct mail

Marketers too late in targeting expectant mums

Posted by | Apr 8, 2008 | |

Marketers are dramatically failing to target expectant mums at the right time of the pregnancy and birth cycle according to independent research specialist Mum’s Views.
The research entitled “What Mums Really Want” was commissioned by Lifecycle Marketing, publishers of Emma’s Diary the UK’s leading pregnancy guide.
Currently 84 per cent of new mums receive the market-dominant sample packs of baby products whilst in hospital with most given out after giving birth but the research confirms that this is not the most effective channel or time to be influencing new mums’ purchasing decisions.
The research which polled over 2,600 new mums and pregnant women, shows that 99 per cent of new mums start to buy products for their baby before giving birth, with the majority (71 pct) starting to buy before the end of the second trimester of pregnancy (26 weeks).
The research also found that, generally speaking, mums are loyal to the brands that they use, with 79 per cent of mums claiming loyalty to the brands that they buy.
Of the new mums that were polled, over 90 per cent said they had bought most of the items they needed for baby by the time they went into hospital and the following percentage of respondents had bought these everyday mother and baby items before the
Emma’s Diary, created by Lifecycle Marketing, is the leading guide to pregnancy in the UK (ABC) and is published on behalf of the Royal College of General Practitioners. It has been distributed by GPs and Midwives throughout the UK for the last 15 years and is given to Mums-to-be on confirmation of their pregnancy.

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Mintel Report: Credit card mailing volume continues to decrease

Posted by | Apr 3, 2008 | |

The estimated amount of direct mail sent by credit card companies in the United States dropped 3 pct from December 2007 to January 2008, according to research from Mintel Comperemedia, a media monitoring service.

The decrease is representative of a trend that first started in October. According to the report, mail sent by credit card companies has declined by 19 pct since October of 2007. Mintel Comperemedia speculated that the change in mail volume is the result of an “unsteady, unsure market.”

From December 2007 to January 2008, direct mail sent to current cardholders dropped by 30 pct, the report said. In contrast, mailings to non-customers increased by 7 pct.

During the same period last year, direct mail sent by credit card companies increased by 7 pct, Hronek said. Overall, there were more offers sent to both non-customers and existing customers last year. However, the year before that, from December 2005 to January 2006, there was a decrease of 5 pct, she added.

Not every credit card company decreased its direct mail efforts from December 2007 to January 2008. Six of the top 10 mailers of 2007 actually increased mailings to non-customers from December to January, Mintel Comperemedia said. However, four out of the 10 reduced mailings to non-customers and existing cardholders.

These top ten mailers included in the report were Chase, Bank of America, Citibank, HSBC, American Express, Capital One Bank, Discover, Washington Mutual, Barclays Bank and First Premier Bank, Hronek said.

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USPS steps up efforts to gain greater share from rivals

Posted by | Apr 1, 2008 | |

The U.S. Postal Service is stepping up efforts to wrest a bigger share of the parcel delivery market from its private sector rivals. And this time around, it’s trying a new tactic. In years past, the federal agency has typically challenged its competitors—FedEx, UPS, and DHL—on the basis of service (for example, by adding tracking and tracing capabilities for express and parcel shipments). Now, it’s attacking on another front: pricing.

Beginning May 12, the USPS will offer volume discounts for its Express Mail, Priority Mail, Parcel Select, and Parcel Return services. Thanks to the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006, the independent agency is able to change its pricing structure to reflect what it calls “industry standard” practices.

For instance, Express Mail will for the first time use zone-based pricing, and customers who establish corporate accounts or pay online will receive a 3-percent discount. Commercial shippers who meet quarterly volume commitments could knock as much as 7 percent more off their bills. Parcel Select will offer volume-based pricing incentives to large and medium-sized shippers, and Parcel Return will now be priced by weight, which the USPS says will significantly cut prices for lightweight packages.

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UK mail volume figures continue to decline

Posted by | Mar 28, 2008 | |

According to the latest figures, this is the third consecutive year of mail volume decline in the UK and is contributing to Royal Mail’s shrinkage.

According to Royal Mail, 5.03 billion items of direct mail were sent in the UK in 2006, a decline of 2.1pct in volume on the previous year. The UK addressed mail market was worth around GBP 6.8 billion in 2006/07. Mail volumes amounted to 21.9 billion items, down 2pct on the previous year. These figures included downstream access, all regulated and non-regulated mail, but excludes door-to-door and international.

Transactional mail volume estimates range anywhere from 6bn to 10bn items per year, this volume is estimated to be declining by around 2-3pct per year. This is due largely to businesses encouraging their customers to move physical bills and statements online.

In 2006/07, mail carried via access arrangements (both operator and customer direct access) accounted for 11.8pct of total mail volumes. This is an increase from 5.6pct in 2005/06.

Royal Mail’s financial performance for the year ended 25 March 2007 was weaker than in the previous year with operating profits (before exceptional items) for Royal Mail Letters’ business falling from GBP 344m to GBP 194m, caused by increasing costs, falling mail volumes and constant revenue. For the licensed area, Royal Mail recorded operating losses of GBP 29m in 2006/07 compared with profits of GBP 168m in 2005/066.

The USO remained profitable overall though less so than the previous year (operating profit was GBP 27 million compared with GBP 54 million in 2005/06) with profits from non-licensed mail weighing over 350g continuing to offset losses on licensed mail weighing 0-350g.

Postcomm has warned Royal Mail that it’s slow reaction to competition and lack of innovative ideas for the growth in the internet and ecommerce could be damaging.

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Study focuses on future of news, newspapers

Posted by | Mar 23, 2008 | |

It’s Thursday morning, and I have a choice: Fill out my NCAA bracket for the office pool or write a column about the future of newspapers. Filling out the bracket would be easier — the predictions much simpler.

But that’s not part of my job description, so I’ll turn to the latest report from the Project for Excellence in Journalism.

Associated with the Pew Research Center in Washington, D.C., the journalism organization looks at news media trends across numerous platforms, including radio, TV, newspapers and the Internet.

“The state of the American news media in 2008 is more troubled than a year ago.

“And the problems, increasingly, appear to be different than many experts have predicted.”

Those are the opening lines of the overview of the study.

In many ways, the study — which examined the public’s news habits as well as coverage trends, staffing levels, revenue, ratings and circulation trends and more — provided good news for newspapers.

While paid circulation of newspapers continued to decline in 2007, readership of newspapers remains strong.

Market research conducted for the Journal & Courier last fall mirrored that finding. Our survey showed that readership of our print edition had increased over the past two years. In addition, the national study found traffic at newspapers’ Web sites growing at impressive rates, something we also have seen at jconline.com.

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