A May 2016 article in Entrepreneur identified that large and small businesses are recommitting to direct mail as they discover that the pendulum may have swung too far in the digital-only direction. Shaun Buck The Newsletter Pro points out an example:

Costco sends 8.6 million magazines/catalogs per month — the third largest monthly publication in the world. The average member who receives Costco Connection has a household income of $156,000 annually, and 56 percent of members who receive the monthly magazine buy something based off of what they read in it.

Costco considered discontinuing the print version of the magazine, but found that their members preferred it to the digital edition. Ginnie M. Roeglin, Senior VP of Costco’s e-commerce and publishing, said she expects the print edition of the magazine to continue to grow in circulation for years to come.

I remembered this last week when I received a catalogue from e-tailer Bonobos. The photos were enticing. The small type and pricing a little less so. Yet as a long-time direct marketer I respect Bonobos decision to merge offline and online with a small catalog test. The results of that test three years ago led Bonobos to not only continue mailing, but to increase the number of catalogs mailed. Now, more than 20 percent of the website’s first-time customers are placing orders because they received a Bonobos catalog in the mail. And the kicker, those same catalog buyers are spending 1.5 times as much as first-time buyers who did not receive a catalog.

Sometimes people do like something to hold in their hands. So if you’re not on the Do Not Mail list take a fresh look at what you’d dub “junk mail” after your next trip to the mailbox. One person’s junk is another’s …

Jamie Michelson, President/CEO