How Brands Can Blend Direct Mail and Email to Drive More Revenue

Combining direct mail and email is a revenue multiplier. 

The data proves it: brands using both channels strategically are seeing an average incremental ROAS of 2.89x compared to using email alone. 

(We don’t have a link for that stat. That’s our own proprietary data talking.)

We think of it as a simple equation: 1 + 1 = 3.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves.

Here are 8 ways brands are combining email and direct mail to drive even more revenue.

The Modern Marketing Stack: Why Email + Direct Mail Works

Think of email as your speed demon and direct mail as your heavyweight champion. 

• Email delivers lightning-fast, personalized content that hits inboxes instantly. 
• Direct mail creates that tangible, "wow" moment that makes your brand impossible to forget.

Together, they're not just adding another touchpoint—they're creating a layered experience that captures attention when and where it matters most.

Strategic Playbook: 11 Ways to Combine Direct Mail and Email for Revenue Growth

1) The Welcome Series Evolution

Brands with killer welcome series drive killer results.

The average welcome flow drives $2.35 in revenue per recipient, and they can be enhanced (way) further with postcards.

Implementation’s easy. 

• Take your messaging and assets from your best-performing email from the series and slap ‘em on a postcard. 
• Trigger it through Klaviyo, Yotpo, or Sendlane. Check it out in the Klaviyo UI:

   

End result: it’s as close to welcoming someone to your brand with a handshake as possible.

Brands implementing this approach are witnessing some kinda nutty results, too.

These are results from an athleisure brand, and they’re adding $6.36 in revenue/recipient with an automated welcome postcard.

2) Abandoned Cart Recovery 2.0

Average abandoned cart emails drive $3.07/send, but brands are pushing these numbers higher by adding in direct mail.

(BTW. . . Abandoned cart postcards are triggered and built in the same way).

For customers who don't convert through your initial abandoned cart sequence, you can follow up with high-quality postcards that show off what they’re missing. 

These pieces include personalized discount codes and clear urgency triggers that motivate immediate action. 

And, they work:

Y’know, sometimes people just forget stuff in their cart. 

The physical reminder serves as a genuine driver to purchase. Simple as that.

3) Post-Purchase Flows… With Mail

As the great Nerd Marketer—and PostPilot co-founder—Drew Sanocki likes to say (and as is true), recency is the single greatest predictor of repurchase. 

You probably know this, though, which is why you also probably have a post-purchase campaign set up.

And like the other big flows, a postcard tacked onto the end of a post-purchase sequence can drive additional revenue.

With postcards like this:

Again, the tangible expression of appreciation, often including a future incentive, drives repeat purchases.

4) Winning-er Winback Campaigns

The best winback programs take a two-pronged approach: hit customers with email and direct mail.

But what happens when a customer unsubscribes from your lists?

You can’t reach them with email. It’s just shouting into the void. You gotta send them mail.

Direct mail can reach where emails can’t. Customers can unsubscribe from your list, but that doesn’t stop a postcard.

Beautifully designed postcards (that we’ll design for you) can win back hordes of customers, bringing them back into the fold, and getting them repurchasing again.

5) Enhancing Seasonal Promotions

Seasonal campaigns require perfect timing and multiple touchpoints to maximize impact. 

\We know you’re building magnificent emails leading into every holiday, but an extra touchpoint goes the extra mile, and drives extra revenue. Check out this beauty from Gordon Ramsay’s cookware brand, HexClad: 

HexClad has driven millions (literally) with direct mail over BFCM with direct mail. Over the last several years, they’ve seriously scaled their direct mail program, and for good reason.

But it’s not just over BFCM. Any holiday’s enhanced with an offer that customers can hold. Check out this vertical Valentine’s Day postcard from apparel brand Alembika:

If customers missed or forgot about the email offers, or they’re unsubscribed, a bright red postcard serves as an excellent reminder to check out the sale.

6) New Year, New You, New Mail

This one is particularly great for wellness and supplement brands. If you’re at one, we know that Q5 can be (or just is) more important than BFCM. 

So, you’re probably sending some email promos out in early-mid December. But a postcard adds another layer to the offer, which we can help coordinate for you.

Supplement brands like Sunwarrior can get reminders of New Year’s resolutions right into customers hands…with mail.

7) Cross-Sell Campaigns

Cross-sells are classic email offers. 

The customer buys X, you show them Y in an email. Or, the customer buys 2/4 items frequently bought together, you send them an email showing how they can complete the set.

Same idea here, but make it mail:

And again, cross-sells with mail work. 

Check out these results from a baby brand cross-selling additional safety products:

8) New Product Launch Amplification

There’s a rule in marketing: if Dr. Squatch is doing it, it probably works.

Which is why Dr. Squatch uses direct mail. 

They use direct mail in a variety of ways, but here’s a postcard they used to help enhance their Spider-Man soap product launch (in conjunction with email and social posts):

They launched products Star Wars collab and holiday products with direct mail, too.

A Match Made in Mail Heaven

A wise man once said, “If you run a great email program, you should launch a direct mail program, too.”

We forget who that guy was, but he was right. 

We help thousands of ecommerce brands and retailers launch, refine, and scale their full-funnel direct mail programs. And we do it all for them: plan, strategize, implement, design, print, mail. In less than a week. 

No, that’s not a typo.

‍Contact us if you’d like to talk to a direct mail expert ASAP, or check out PostPilot.com for some more information about what mail can do for you.