BEYOND THE INBOX:

How direct mail strengthens multichannel engagement

Direct mail remains a powerful marketing channel and an effective means of differentiating brands. In RRD’s recent report, How Do Consumers Respond to Direct Mail in the Digital Age?, 72% of participants stated that they regularly read or look at ads in the mail. Additionally, interviews with marketing leaders from various sectors reveal that direct mail remains important — when used purposefully.

In this report, RRD examines how and why marketing decision-makers are using direct mail today, the barriers they face, and their expectations for the tried-and-true channel's future. Consistent insights from these interviews show that direct mail is being redefined as a strategic asset for capturing attention, fostering trust, and establishing stronger brand relationships.

Mailbox with marketing materials

72%

OF PARTICIPANTS

stated that they regularly read or look at ads in the mail.

INTERVIEWS WITH MARKETING LEADERS

from various sectors reveal that direct mail remains important — when used purposefully.

As it gains new traction as a driver of engagement, innovation, and measurable results, here are four key ways that modern marketers can transform direct mail into a highly personalized, data-driven channel:

  1. Use direct mail purposefully to drive meaningful engagement
  2. Leverage direct mail as a powerful tool for brand storytelling
  1. Integrate direct mail into a connected, omnichannel strategy
  2. Pursue innovation that enhances efficiency and impact

Report Vitals

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WHAT WE DID
Conducted 12 in-depth interviews with senior marketing and brand leaders across industries — from healthcare and retail to entertainment, finance, and tech.

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WHY WE DID IT
To understand how decision-makers are utilizing direct mail, where they see opportunity, and how its role is changing within the modern marketing mix.

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WHEN WE DID IT

April ー May 2025

1. Use direct mail purposefully to drive meaningful engagement

Two people reviewing printed charts and graphs with pens, analyzing financial or business data.

Direct mail is a very valuable marketing channel, but given the demands and opportunities of modern marketing, its role in the mix is being reconsidered. Most marketers interviewed acknowledged that while mail may not be the right choice for every campaign, it still plays an important role when used effectively. It’s especially valuable in acquisition, donor appeals, and brand re-engagement efforts.

There’s just less competition in the mailbox. There’s a white space there.
— Senior digital commerce leader

In a digital-first environment, direct mail still holds a key role in marketing when used intentionally. Print is gaining renewed appreciation as a high-impact complement to digital channels.

Where direct mail delivers

Many participants recognize real benefits in direct mail, especially when timed strategically, targeted to the right audience, and paired with other channels. Marketers highlighted several key strengths:

  • Broad range of use cases: From B2B prospecting to donor outreach and product launches. See how 10 brands are using direct mail in 10 different ways.
  • Breakthrough potential: Stands out during busy digital times (i.e., holidays, back-to-school).
  • Targeting ability: Facilitates moment-specific delivery and persona-based segmentation.
One retail marketing leader shared: Direct mail is used as an acquisition tool and a re-engagement tool…[and for] prospecting for new customers.

Unlocking direct mail’s full potential

Even the marketers we talked to who like direct mail admit it’s not always easy to justify, especially in fast-paced, digital-native organizations. Top concerns include:

  • Perception issues: Mail is sometimes viewed as outdated or irrelevant to younger consumers.
  • Execution challenges: Creative development, production, and postage remain heavy lifts.
  • Knowledge gap: Internal teams aren’t always sure how to approach or integrate direct mail into campaigns.

Others noted a steep learning curve for teams used to digital-first tactics, with limited familiarity with modern direct mail capabilities or targeting tools.

It’s not because I don’t think it’s going to work…I just don’t have the budget to do it.

— VP of marketing

Wondering how your audience feels about direct mail?
Download the RRD Survey: How Do Consumers Respond to Direct Mail in the Digital Age?

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Use direct mail with a purpose

Marketers showed interest in using direct mail more strategically, especially when it enhances brand experience, acquisition, or high-impact moments. Key opportunities mentioned:

  • Define its role clearly: Use direct mail where it’s strongest: early funnel engagement, brand storytelling, or reactivation.
  • Deploy it selectively: Engage high-value audiences or complement digital campaigns for maximum impact.
  • Frame it as premium: Treat direct mail as a curated experience, not just a one-time ad.
Very little marketing works alone. Direct mail has a decent return compared to some of the others.

— Senior marketing leader

Expert take

Headshot of Curtis Tingle, President, RRD Cooperative Media & Marketing

"Direct mail is the most efficient when it’s driven by a clear objective and smart execution. As a broad-based media tool, direct mail can be used as a cost-efficient extension of your brand. By sending the right message, at the right time, to the right audience, it drives brand awareness, acquisition, and retention."

— Curtis Tingle, President, RRD Cooperative Media & Marketing

2. Leverage direct mail as a powerful tool for brand storytelling

Happy woman engaging with direct mail.

More than just a channel, direct mail is increasingly seen as a brand experience. When executed well, it offers something digital rarely provides: a tangible, personalized encounter that’s meant to be held, not just clicked. For marketers looking for ways to stand out, mail can serve as both message and medium, boosting memorability, delivering value, and reinforcing brand identity.

One interviewee summed it up best:
It’s not just mail, it’s a moment. “Mail is a storytelling tool. I’d love to see us use it like chapters — [with] each piece building toward something bigger.”
— Customer experience expert

Why direct mail resonates

Marketers cited several benefits linked directly to how mail makes people feel, and what that means for brand perception. Key strengths included:

  • Tactile impact: Mail feels authentic and purposeful, especially when delivered thoughtfully.
  • Creative storytelling: Formats like tri-folds, dimensional mailers, and kits encourage storytelling and engagement.
  • Emotional recall: People are more likely to keep items that feel premium or personal.

For brands looking to deepen affinity or strengthen their premium positioning, direct mail can be a natural fit, especially in loyalty campaigns, account-based marketing, and luxury segments.

One tech industry VP noted:
It felt like I was getting an invitation to the Queen’s wedding…[because of] the level of care and detail.

Bridging perception and performance

Even marketers who value direct mail’s ability to build brands have shown hesitation about how to measure its effectiveness. While many appreciate the tactile feel and emotional connection of print, doubt remains around proving its performance, especially compared to digital channels. Key concerns include:

  • Attribution difficulties: It’s often hard to directly connect direct mail campaigns to results without specialized tracking tools.
  • Lack of ROI clarity: Some marketers are reluctant to increase their use of direct mail without clearer data on its performance.
  • Funding barriers: Without stronger proof of results, direct mail may find it tough to compete for budget in the future.
Unless there’s some magic I’m not aware of, you can’t tell me when the mail piece got opened.

— VP marketing
at a tech company

Focus on simplicity, impact, and brand elevation

Marketers stressed that the most effective direct mail is both personal and easy to understand. Complexity, whether in format or messaging, can weaken results. Instead, they prefer campaigns that are clear, trackable, and aligned with brand identity. Key priorities going forward:

  • Simplify the message: Clarity boosts engagement. Avoid over-designed or overly complicated formats.
  • Track performance: Use built-in tracking tools [e.g., QR codes, persistent uniform resource locators (PURLs), dashboards] to measure impact and improve campaigns.
  • Enhance the brand: Position direct mail as a way to build trust and a premium perception, especially for large decisions or complex purchases.
It has to be a piece that's memorable in and of itself…not [something that’s] just teasing a sale here or there.

 — Executive VP of marketing
and public relations

Expert take

Headshot of Stefanie Cortes, Vice President, Business Development, Direct Marketing at RRD

"Direct mail has evolved. It’s no longer about volume — it’s about value. The smartest marketers are deploying direct mail to amplify what digital can’t do alone: create a moment that feels memorable, tangible, and trusted."

— Stefanie Cortes, Vice President, Business Development, Direct Marketing at RRD

3. Integrate direct mail into a connected, omnichannel strategy

Team of professionals in a meeting, collaborating on business strategy.

Across interviews, one consistent trend emerged: marketers are no longer viewing direct mail as an isolated tactic. Instead, they integrate it into the broader, meaningful brand experience, linking physical and digital engagement to reach people effectively. Whether it’s timed to complement email campaigns, trigger a personalized landing page, or support early-funnel awareness, direct mail is increasingly regarded as part of a unified strategy.

It's no longer print vs. digital — it's print and digital. As one respondent shared: [Direct] mail builds the moment. Then digital closes the loop.
— Customer experience expert

Why direct mail works

When integrated thoughtfully, direct mail enhances the customer journey by reaching people in ways digital alone often can’t. It creates a physical presence, drives sensory-rich engagement, and strengthens emotional connections to the brand. Key advantages marketers mention:

  • Multi-sensory reach: Mail engages customers in physical ways that complement digital experiences.
  • Tactile value: Its physical presence adds credibility, memorability, and a sense of importance.
  • Funnel movement: When combined with digital, mail helps move consumers toward action more effectively.

This integration isn’t just theoretical — it’s already happening. Some marketers have reported that direct mail is now part of their marketing automation workflows, coordinated with email service providers (ESPs), short message service (SMS), and digital ad campaigns.

The evolving direct mail strategy

Even marketers who see the value in integrated campaigns are cautious about investing in direct mail. Concerns about costs, tracking limitations, and perceptions still exist, especially since digital offers more immediate performance data. Top concerns include:

  • Cost and ROI hesitation: Direct mail is often deprioritized because of production and postage costs, especially without clear attribution.
  • Limited tracking capabilities: Compared to digital, measurement tools for direct mail are still developing.
You can't truly measure the impact of a piece of direct mail versus email.
— Senior marketing and communications leader

  • Misconceptions about channel performance: Some teams continue to see print and digital as competing strategies rather than complementary ones.
There is technological complexity and cost…because brands are using different vendors for email, SMS, and customer relationship management (CRM) 一 [and] none of it talks to each other easily.

— VP of digital commerce

Despite these obstacles, most marketers showed interest in doing more with direct mail, especially if providers could simplify the process with dashboards, application programming interfaces (APIs), and integration support.

Make direct mail part of a connected brand experience

Marketers see the greatest value in direct mail when it’s fully integrated into broader campaign workflows, rather than as a standalone touchpoint. When aligned with CRM data, automation tools, and digital sequencing, direct mail can play a decisive role in delivering timely, premium experiences that drive action. Top opportunities marketers identified included:

  • CRM-integrated campaigns: Trigger mail based on behavior, segmentation, or funnel stage.
  • Real-time targeting: Use automation and data signals to deploy mail with precision.
  • Omnichannel consistency: Reinforce the broader brand experience across channels.
  • Premium formats: Explore high-impact outreach such as video-in-mail or dimensional packaging for key audiences.

Expert take

Headshot of Margo Yohner, Senior Vice President, Sales & Go-to-Market Commercial Print at RRD

"Marketers don’t need more channels — they need better connections between the ones they already use. That’s where direct mail can shine: as part of a carefully orchestrated strategy that blends timing, relevance, and experience into something greater than the sum of its parts."

— Margo Yohner, Senior Vice President, Sales & Go-to-Market Commercial Print at RRD

4. Pursue innovation that enhances efficiency and impact

Visual showing mail, analytics, and communication icons with a light bulb symbolizing ideas, next to a team collaborating on marketing strategy.

From gamified formats and integrated videos to AI-triggered mail, marketers are focusing on innovation in direct mail. But even the most inventive ideas only succeed if they are easy to implement and linked to measurable results. In interviews, the desire to advance direct mail was balanced with a clear message: creativity must be supported by practicality.

Why direct mail is gaining attention

Respondents showed a strong interest in using direct mail in more interactive and creative ways, especially when innovation boosts engagement and helps differentiate brands. Marketers are testing a variety of print formats and enhancements aimed at surprising and engaging recipients while staying true to the brand experience. Key areas of interest include:

  • Gamification and serialized formats that promote collection or deeper interaction
  • Augmented reality and video-in-mail to make messaging more engaging
  • Multi-sensory experiences that enhance what digital offers
  • Functional upgrades — like QR codes with embedded tracking and voice-activated print — that trigger personalized offers or actions
We hand out a piece that opens with a video in the center that auto-plays when you open it…[delivering an experience] which I think is good.

— Chief marketing
and experience officer

Optimizing direct mail innovation

Despite the appeal, innovation isn’t always easy to implement, especially at scale or under tight deadlines. Marketers are cautious about adopting tactics that may seem exciting but are hard to justify in terms of cost or business relevance. Common concerns include:

  • Execution speed and complexity: New ideas often require time and coordination across teams.
  • Cost perceptions: Interactive formats are often seen as prohibitively expensive.
  • Business alignment: Simply being new isn’t enough — ideas must address real marketing challenges.
It’s not that I don’t want to innovate. I just don’t have the team or budget to manage something too complex.

— Survey respondent

Make direct mail innovation practical and purposeful

Marketers seek innovation, but they want it grounded in strategy. The most promising advancements are those that combine creativity with data, automation, and real-world usability. Key opportunities marketers cited:

  • Programmatic and integrated campaigns: Connect mail to CRM and marketing automation platforms for real-time targeting.
  • Deeper personalization and segmentation: Move beyond basic demographics with behavioral, lifestyle, or psychographic targeting.
  • Format intelligence and delivery optimization: Customize mail types based on geography, audience, or even mailbox size.
  • Appealing to younger audiences: Use formats that connect physical and digital — such as collectible mail, augmented reality (AR), or “give and get” concepts — to engage Gen Z and millennials who are less receptive to mail by default.
Tying into our ESP and SMS vendors…[and] understanding customer timing across channels would help us sequence and personalize more effectively.

— Senior digital commerce
leader

The future of direct mail

What marketers anticipate over the next three to five years:

Gradual, strategic expansion
Especially if impact can be demonstrated or attribution improves.

If this client mailing goes over really well, it could be an interesting element and piece of our activation plans moving forward.

— SVP brand and creative at a financial services company

Direct mail’s growing role in omnichannel engagement
Direct mail proves effective when formats are simple, timely, and action-oriented.

I would say [it will] go up around 10%…because of more opportunity to reach folks…there’s some indication someone’s taking action.

— Healthcare marketing specialist

Ideal for early-stage funnel engagement
Marketers are using mail to generate interest and attention before digital channels take over.

Mail happens for us at that first phase — the engaged customer phase.

— VP of marketing at a tech company

Expert take

Headshot of Steven Arsenijevic, Vice President, Client Strategy

"Innovation in direct mail doesn’t have to mean complexity. When creative ideas are paired with real-time targeting and smarter workflows, mail becomes more personalized, more efficient, and more powerful."

— Steven Arsenijevic, Vice President, Client Strategy

Direct mail’s next chapter is strategic, data-driven, and brand-defining

Throughout interviews, one clear theme emerged: direct mail is becoming a more purposeful, integrated tool, and the channel’s tangible effect is becoming increasingly noticeable. When combined with digital, direct mail offers a seamless, powerful omnichannel experience that effectively engages audiences. However, to remain relevant, it needs to continue evolving. Direct mail should be easier to use, simpler to measure, and more precise about who it targets and when.

RRD helps marketers overcome today’s top direct mail challenges — from proving ROI, integrating direct mail into CRM workflows, and creating trackable, personalized campaigns. Our solutions close the gap with smarter targeting, real-time insights, and positive outcomes.

Want to discover what more strategic direct mail could do for your brand?

Connect with an expert.

Let’s discuss how RRD’s direct mail and omnichannel solutions can help you meet your marketing goals.

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