Consumers 'way off the mark' over direct mail receipt

by Julia Pearlman, Brand Republic 22-Feb-05, 07:30

LONDON - Consumers believe they are receiving twice as much direct mail than they actually do, according to research by the Direct Mail Information Service.

The DMIS says the research highlights a problem in that consumers can confuse non-addressed items with direct mail.

DMIS managing director Jo Howard Brown said: "The findings reiterate what the DM industry knows -- the consumer is not snowed under with mountains of direct mail.

"It is a flourishing medium and one that will continue to flourish as long as clients and their agencies produce relevant, engaging and well-targeted work."

According to the study, the average UK consumer believes they receive 6.2 items of direct mail a week. The actual number is only 3.3 items.

The statistics show that women are much more accurate at assessing their receipt of direct mail. They believe they receive 6 items a week rather than the actual figure of 3.7. Men claim they receive 6.4 items a week when the real figure is 3.1 items.

The figures come from the Consumer Trends Survey 2004, conducted in November 2003 and actual mail receipt from the Royal Mail Consumers Panel in the same period.

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