TL;DR:

• Direct mail delivers 4.4% response rates vs. 0.6% for email — 7x higher engagement

• Median ROI of 29%, with high-performing campaigns exceeding 1,000%

• Neuroscience shows direct mail requires 21% less cognitive effort and drives 70% higher brand recall

• 82% of marketers plan to increase direct mail spending in 2025

Why Direct Mail Is Back for Both B2B and D2C

Whether you're selling to consumers or businesses, direct mail is back (and better than ever). With higher engagement rates, smarter tracking, and automated delivery, it fills the gaps left by oversaturated digital channels. Marketers are rediscovering it not as a nostalgic tactic, but as a modern, measurable channel that cuts through the noise.

The Hidden Crisis in Marketing Spend

Digital costs are rising. LinkedIn leads cost $50-200. Google Ads conversions average over $116 in tech. Email? You're lucky to get a 20-30% open rate in a sea of 100+ daily emails.

Meanwhile, direct mail averages a 4.4% response rate. That's 7x the engagement of email—and it's trackable, scalable, and fully automated with platforms like BirdseyePost.

Marketing teams need more than impressions. They need results. And direct mail is proving, again and again, that it delivers.

Why Direct Mail ROI Beats Digital in 2025

It actually gets seen The average person gets 16.8 mail pieces a week. Compare that to 600+ emails. Physical mail:

• Hits 90-95% open rates

• Drives 70% stronger brand recall after two weeks

• Is checked daily by 98% of households

It works on the brain Neuroscience studies show:

• 21% less cognitive effort to process

• 49% stronger memory encoding than email

• Activates brain areas tied to decision-making and emotion

It tracks better than ever BirdseyePost makes direct mail just as trackable as digital. With SnapCapture QR codes:

• You know who scanned, when, and what they engaged with

• Real-time alerts let sales teams or customer service follow up immediately

• Scans = opted-in leads

Plus, integrations with Shopify, Klaviyo, CRM, and ecomm platforms mean mail can be automatically triggered by digital behavior—cart abandonment, winbacks, VIP reactivation, B2B ABM, and more.

Building Your Business Case: Metrics That Matter

Basic ROI Formula: ROI = [(Revenue - Campaign Cost) / Campaign Cost] x 100

BirdseyePost campaigns consistently outperform digital in terms of cost per lead and speed to engagement. Instead of chasing costly ads, you can reach decision-makers or customers directly, in their homes or on their desks.

Common Performance Benchmarks:

Real B2B and D2C Direct Mail Results

B2B Account Targeting with SnapCapture One BirdseyePost client sent personalized postcards to 500 high-value accounts. Each card had a unique QR code linked to a custom landing page. When scanned:

• Sales was notified in real time

• Each lead was captured and added to CRM

• Engagement was tracked by account, source, and creative

The result? A 278% ROI within 60 days.

D2C Winback with SmartMailers A skincare brand used BirdseyePost to re-engage customers who hadn’t purchased in 90+ days.

• Personalized postcards triggered automatically via Klaviyo

• SnapCapture QR codes drove traffic to a reactivation offer

• Result: 11x ROI and 340% higher revenue per recipient than email

Driving Store Traffic with Personalized Maps A retailer used a SmartMaps postcards to drive in-store visits. Each postcard featured:

• A personalized map from recipient's address to nearest store

• A QR code that triggered a limited-time offer

• Real-time scan alerts to in-store teams

Objection Handling: Your Boss's Questions, Answered

"Isn't direct mail expensive?"

• Direct mail costs more per piece than email, but delivers far more per response

• BirdseyePost customers see $7+ ROI for every $1 spent

"Can we track it?"

• SnapCapture tracks every scan back to the recipient

• CRM and ecomm integration shows closed-loop revenue attribution

• Informed Delivery boosts response before the mail even arrives

"It takes too long."

• BirdseyePost campaigns launch in under a week

• Over 60% of responses occur in the first 30 days

• Automated mailers trigger instantly based on digital behavior

"Does it scale?"

• Send to 50 or 50,000 with the same ease

• Real-time data syncing, batch personalization, and automated flows built in

"We’re a consumer brand—does direct mail still work?"

• D2C brands using BirdseyePost see open rates of 90%+ and instant lead capture

• Integrates with Shopify and Klaviyo for automated sending

• Works for acquisition, retention, winbacks, and retail foot traffic

Getting Started: A 30-Day Pilot

Week 1: Choose target audience and campaign goal

Week 2: Launch personalized postcard campaign with QR tracking

Week 3: Connect to CRM or ecomm platform

Week 4: Measure scans, leads, and attributed revenue

Final Thoughts

Direct mail isn’t old-school. It’s overlooked.

With BirdseyePost, it's now:

• Automated

• Trackable, down to the individual

• Fast

• Scalable

Whether you're an enterprise marketing team or a fast-growing Shopify brand, direct mail deserves a seat at the strategy table.

Ready to show ROI? Let BirdseyePost help you build the business case, launch your campaign, and close the loop with results you can measure. Book a strategy call