The Growth of E-Commerce & Changing Consumer Behavior

These days, we hear a lot about e-commerce, which is simply buying and selling things online. E-commerce includes shopping on websites, ordering food through apps, and paying for digital services. 

With everything readily accessible from a computer or handheld device, it’s no wonder that the rise of e-commerce is growing steadily. In 2023, global e-commerce sales reached an estimated $5.8 trillion, which is projected to increase by 39% over the next few years—potentially hitting over $8 trillion by 2027. 

E-commerce creates an incredible opportunity. In addition to marketing e-commerce sites with passive digital strategies like SEO and paid data, direct mail can proactively drive traffic to those sites as well. 

Direct Mail’s Role in the E-Commerce Landscape

Direct mail is far from being outdated in today’s digital landscape and growing world of e-commerce. In fact, direct mail is an excellent way to cut through digital clutter and grab attention in ways that digital ads can’t quite achieve.

Direct mail helps you build brand awareness, drive traffic to online stores, and retain customers after their first purchase. It’s all about the diligence in follow-up and leveraging your customer data. 

When we say that digital marketing is “passive,” it’s not that it’s ineffective, but with digital marketing, you’re generally waiting for your audience to find you. Direct mail, on the other hand, is proactive. You get information in front of potential customers before they even think about looking for you. 

There’s not one right answer to the question of direct mail vs. digital marketing. Rather, businesses need to balance both approaches to create a successful and well-rounded marketing strategy. 

For example, a tutoring service could send out postcards and brochures at the beginning of the school year—creating parent awareness of the services. Once a customer (in this case, a parent) engages with the piece of marketing collateral by visiting the URL or scanning a QR code, they are ready for the next step. 

Digital marketing can take over from there, helping send follow-up email sequences and retargeting ads. 

Building Your Direct Mail Audience

Much of your marketing starts with valuable data about your target audiences. There are many tools out there to help you build your digital audience, but some business owners still struggle with the ways to build a proper mailing list. 

Businesses can buy targeted mailing lists based on demographics, behaviors, or interests. For example, a company selling athletic gear may purchase a list of gym members in a specific zip code. 

It’s very critical that you work with reputable companies who know how to fill gaps in data and flush out the lists. Heritage Printing helps businesses develop and enhance their lists. We can find lookalike audiences to help you expand. 

If you have just a partial list, we can profile the list and find more people who share the qualities you’re looking for. 

The result is highly targeted, specific data that helps you deliver the perfect message to the perfect audience. When this happens, it’s a formula for success.

Leveraging Print to Support E-Commerce Growth

Direct mail also plays a significant role in customer retention, which leads to e-commerce growth. 

Many customers make a purchase and then promptly forget about the brand. Direct mail helps keep you top-of-mind for your customers. It familiarizes them with your brand and helps them feel like they’re part of an “in” group.

Sending discount postcards, VIP invitations, and seasonal mailers will encourage repeat purchases. 

Print materials like catalogs, postcards, and inserts drive traffic to e-commerce sites by offering a tactile connection to a brand. It makes your brand less nebulous and more real. 

All those materials you use to drive traffic are proactive. People receive your catalogs, postcards, and direct mail and are inspired to explore more about your offerings. These are pre-sale actions. 

You can drive business even further and faster by using tools like QR codes and personalized URLs. These tools help you to connect the print and online shopping experiences seamlessly. Most customers are familiar and comfortable with these tools, and they’re a significant asset to your marketing arsenal. 

Novel Ways to Integrate Direct Mail with E-Commerce Marketing

Direct mail and digital ads work even better together than in their own separate silos. For example, if you have a list of 2,000 potential customers, you can first send them direct mail. From there, upload the list to your ad platform (such as Google or Facebook) to get targeted digital ads.

When you combine direct mail with digital marketing, it ensures multiple touchpoints to reinforce your brand message. 

With advances in data and customer segmentation, you can get personal, too. For example, variable data printing can be used to create customized mailers based on purchase histories and preferences.

Imagine you’re a pet supply company—how helpful is it to separate the dog owners and cat owners? Send them a postcard with the promotions they want and plan to use for their pet. Custom coupons can be based on past purchases and other preferences, so you can entice customers with products and services you know they like. 

Don’t Overlook Direct Mail in E-Commerce Marketing

Direct mail is fresh, eye-catching, and surprisingly modern. It’s been around for a long time, but it’s not a relic of the past. It’s a potent tool, especially when you employ it strategically alongside digital marketing strategies.

No matter how successful your digital campaigns are, direct mail is still a channel that shouldn’t be ignored.

At Heritage Printing, we help businesses develop targeted direct mail campaigns that complement and integrate with e-commerce marketing efforts to help you stay focused and strategic in your outreach.

If you’re looking for direct mail strategies for the digital age, look no further than Heritage. We’re here to help you make the most of your next campaign.