Here’s our round-up of the new trends and technologies — in the direct mail industry and at Click2Mail — that will be making waves this year.

Direct Mail + Digital = A Happy Marketing Marriage
Statistics show that the trend to omnichannel promotions is still gaining strength. In 2019, combining direct mail with digital produced a 250% higher purchase and engagement rate than single channel marketing.

QR Code Use Will Boom
In the next two years, 5.3 QR code coupons will be redeemed by smartphones and 1 billion smartphones will access QR codes. Add one to your direct mail piece to drive sales, direct traffic to your website, give customers an AR experience, track customer response, re-target prospects on social media, and much more.

Direct Mail Response Rates Will Rise
Even though the total volume of direct mail pieces has declined by 29.85% since 2006, response rates have steadily risen over the same period:

  • 173% increase for house lists
  • 194% increase for prospect lists

Causes of this trend include the growth of online bill pay, which has reduced mailbox clutter and allowed direct marketing messages to stand out. Another cause is our next trend:

Personalization Will Make Its Mark
Customizing your message to each recipient boosts response rates by 50% to 135% (depending on which study you look at). With today’s on-demand printing capabilities, you can do anything from a simple name to content that’s entirely unique to each recipient. Sources of targetable information range from subscription form data to customers’ past buying habits.

Customer Stories Will Gain Appeal
Businesses have realized that self-promotional messages are not terribly effective. Customers want to know what they will experience and how they will benefit, not how great you think you are. Thus, we have the trend toward using customer success stories and testimonials to show how you add value to their lives.

Political Mail Will Be on the Campaign Trail
Political mail in 2018 totaled 2.7 billion pieces; and based on that success, the 2020 number is expected to be even larger. New research technologies allow marketers to micro-target niche markets, while personalized printing makes it cost-effective. Meanwhile, the USPS has developed tools for better tracking, such as IMb (Intellegent Mailbarcode) tracing reporting.

Postage Rates Will Increase
On January 27, the 2020 postage rates go into effect. Never fear, most rates will stay about the same, including First-Class letters, Stamped Mail, Postcards and International Letters and Postcards. However, Priority Mail rates will go up by an average of 2.8%. Of course, Click2Mail will still pass on a postage discount for standardized addresses.

We’re Looking for Beta Testers
We think you’ll love the new, easy-as-pie Click2Mail user interface that we’ve developed. But before it goes live, we need select customers to give it a test drive. If you’d like to be a beta tester, click here.

We’ll Keep You Informed 
Do you use our APIs? Now you can sign up to receive status updates and details about any issues as they happen.

We’ll Release ZendaNote for Android
Already available as an iPhone app (in the Apple App Store), Click2Mail’s ZendaNote instantly sends a personalized, folded note right from your phone.

We’ll Introduce New Automation Tools
Stay tuned for details as these new projects become available.

If you have any questions about what’s coming up for Click2Mail and the direct mail industry, please don’t hesitate to call us at 866-665-2787 or email us. Here’s to a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!