The Joint Industry Currency for Mail (JICMAIL) has announced that mail read-rates reached an all-time high in the final quarter of 2024.
Results from the industry body’s Q4 update showed the impact of mail throughout the crucial Christmas trading period.
This includes the headline statistic that 77% of all mail was read or looked at, a record figure since JICMAIL began its mail measurement tracking eight years ago.
Direct Mail Engagement and Attention Remains High
Direct Mail is interacted with for an average of 133 seconds across 28 days. This represents a nine-second increase from 2023’s corresponding figure and highlights the effectiveness of DM throughout the most competitive time of the year.
The frequency of interactions also climbed year-on-year (+0.9%) to 4.43 interactions. Meanwhile, Item Reach remained relatively static at 1.13 people, and the Lifespan of items in the home fell slightly to 7.0 days.
These latest statistics compare favourably with other advertising mail, with figures for all mail formats listed below:
| Mail Type | Frequency | Item Reach | Lifespan | Attention |
| Direct Mail | 4.4 interactions | 1.13 people | 7.0 days | 133 seconds |
| Business Mail | 4.8 interactions | 1.17 people | 8.6 days | 191 seconds |
| Partially Addressed Mail | 3.8 interactions | 1.09 people | 6.2 days | 80 seconds |
| Door Drops | 3.1 interactions | 1.06 people | 5.7 days | 56 seconds |
Super Touchpoint Shows Mail Media Strengths
The mail channel demonstrated its Super Touchpoint status, as outlined in a recent report by JICMAIL.
In addition to benefiting from consumer engagement, advertisers continue to benefit from mail’s conversion potential.
It’s been revealed that 6% of mail prompted a purchase in Q4 2024, with half of those purchases made online.
According to JICMAIL-endorsed Nielsen circulation data, 7,763 advertisers used Direct Mail or Door Drops in 2024. This amounts to 15% of all UK advertisers tracked by Nielsen.
Supermarkets, retailers, charities, and financial institutions were among the biggest beneficiaries, with these sectors reporting above-average response rates across both Door Drops and Direct Mail.
Loyalty reward statements proved to be one of the most effective drivers of response to Direct Mail. Vouchers and special offers were particularly effective in door-to-door distribution.
JICMAIL: “Mail has again proven its strengths throughout the purchase cycle”
JICMAIL is a not-for-profit industry organisation that provides the gold standard of information and independent research on consumer activity with mail in the home. Utilising JICMAIL data gives media planners a clear and accurate picture of the efficacy of mail campaigns.
Everyone knows that the competition for consumer eyeballs is more fierce than ever in Q4. Combined with the ongoing challenges of platform dominated ad spend, persistent use of last-click attribution models, and rising levels of digital ad fraud, it is more important than ever for marketers to consider their investments in Super Touchpoints in this crucial trading period. Mail has again proven its strengths throughout the purchase cycle in Q4 and the record levels of mail read-rates show just how much appetite consumers have for marketing comms delivered through the mail channel
Ian Gibbs, Director and Data Leadership and Learning JICMAIL
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