I’m sure all of us can reflect on 2020 as being one of the most erratic we’ve experienced in a long time. So many unknown factors that brands had to deal with and overcome, we might have to make ‘into the unknown’ from Frozen our theme song for 2020. While some of us were in denial and only waking up to the debris that this virus has caused, other have chosen to innovate, adapt and follow the yellow brick road.
The acceleration of digital during the pandemic was and still is shaping the next normal. The COVID-19 pandemic became a launching pad for organisations to become digital savvy, and agile—and to do it all at lightning-fast speed. But one thing is missing, with all the craze of moving to digital due to lockdowns and other challenges it also caused consumers to be overly stimulated by brands trying to fight for their attention. It became an online battle of the brands and consumer disloyalty was starting to sweep the globe as there is just so many distractions with brands competing online.
The shift in perspective needs to become a battle of the brave. Those who want to dare to be brave and go against the mainstream, the ones that will follow the road perhaps less travelled, freeing themselves from the conformity of others and leaving a new trail. The companies that are willing to diversify themselves and set the tone and tempo for others. ‘The reality is that the accelerating speed of digital means that we are increasingly living in a winner-take-all world, but simply going faster isn’t the answer. Rather, winning companies are investing in the tech, data, processes, and people to enable speed through better decisions and faster course corrections based on what they learn.’- McKinsey & Company
Direct mail campaigns is delivering just that. The chance to provide a welcome break to consumers now being stuck indoors, craving for an escape from their screens and having to have an ‘always on’ mentality. A respite if you like.
The road to recovery is paved with data. Data is providing the fuel to power better and faster decisions. The more you know about your customers, the better decisions you can make about them – when to contact them; what offers are relevant for them, who can you mail profitably.
When Direct Mail is targeted, useful and engaging it represents one of the greatest communication forms.
The Epsilon Abacus database is essentially a single customer view of millions of UK households and the transactions they make across hundreds of UK retailers. The Epsilon Abacus Database provides you with a wealth of insight to support key marketing decisions, including:
- Identifying opportunities for new product lines that will appeal to your buyers
- Optimising your circulation plan, adjust timing of promotional offers and determine allocation of marketing resources
- Identifying which periods offer the highest potential to increase market share by targeting promotions to your customers and prospects
- Assessing and reacting to customer buying behaviour and loyalty
- Understanding how recruitment channel, order value and seasonality influences your customers’ purchasing habits
- Driving store traffic by identifying and targeting the best opportunities within a catchment or drive time area
Brands need to shift perspectives and hone in on what their customers want. It’s not about just running digital campaigns and relying on one source to acquire new customers. An effective marketer knows that it’s ultimately delivering the right message to the right person at the right time. Direct Mail speaks and appeal to a slightly older demographic than digital channels and can help in gaining access to those audiences.
Read how one retailer was able to double their total average spend through Direct Mail compared to other channels and scale their audience volumes up to 5X their original test volume.
Catalogues allow you to recruit customers with a higher Average Order Value (AOV) who are more likely to buy again. And it’s these repeat purchasers that deliver profitability. Catalogues also expose people to new products. While search directs you to what you want to find, a catalogue is a source of discovery. It introduces people to new things they did not know about which encourages sales.
Why not test your first offline campaign with Abacus. Come on. Dare to be different
Send us a message at enquiriesuk@epsilon.com