Some historical facts:
– Ben Franklin created the first direct mail-order catalog 239 years ago
– Neiman Marcus sold a $1.44M submarine & a $1M diamond necklace from its 2007 direct mail holiday catalog
– Sears Roebuck & Co. sold over 70,000 homes by mail-order from 1908-1940

Today’s facts:
– The average adult in the US receives 40lbs of annual direct mail or 16 pieces per week
– 69% of Americans shop from direct mail catalogs
– Direct mail generates a 31.3% ROI for customer acquisition & 37.5% for customer retention
– 10% more consumers visit a brand’s website in response to direct mail over email
– 48% keep direct mailings for future reference
– 56% believe printed marketing materials are “more trustworthy”
– 2X the number of respondents age 18-34 believe direct mail will never be replaced by
online messaging compared to 20% of those over 55
– Over 30% people read the P.S. 1st
– 20-25% of target customers will return a form
– The average response rate of B2B & B2C consumer mailings: 4.4% direct mail as compared to .12% email
– Citigroup, JPMorganChase, Discover Financial Services – are among the top 5 firms to use direct mail