How Ecommerce Brands Can Use Direct Mail Effectively

Your customers’ inboxes are like the Tokyo subway at rush hour. Crowded as hell. They’re not seeing many of your emails. 

They’re getting pelted by ads, too. In every feed, on every website, and increasingly, in inboxes, too.

Of course, you have to stay in the “glADiatorial” arena, and emails are fundamental to any marketing strategy. But to unlock a totally new channel and physically guarantee customers will see your messages, there’s direct mail. 

Here’s how some of the best ecommerce brands in the biz use direct mail effectively, drive profitable revenue, and scale another pillar of their marketing.

Let’s start at the top of the funnel.

Acquisition: Turning Prospects into Customers

CACs are awful, and everyone’s telling you to diversify your acquisition.

Consider direct mail. 

There’s a reason brands (even the whales like Nike, J.Crew, and Amazon) are moving into prospecting with direct mail. Direct mail sidesteps the noise, and can be used to build targeted lookalike audiences. Plus, sending a postcard, trifold, or catalog costs less than a click, delivering value that actually lands in a customer's hands.

Here’s how to do it:

Mail to High-Propensity Audiences

Skip the "blast to everyone" approach and stop working with agencies or data brokers who don’t understand your business.

Leverage a direct mail platform that can build a target audience that weaves your own customer data with rich customer datasets. Datasets that include, for example, age, income, location, family size, housing, customer interests, and more.

Creative Messaging Matters

Postcards and other mailers need to stand out at first glance. 

Visually compelling design paired with clear, concise copy does the trick. If you wouldn’t put it in a killer email or ad, you shouldn’t put it in a postcard.

A catchy headline that immediately addresses your audience’s need or curiosity captures attention. Emphasize your unique selling points—such as sustainably sourced products, exclusive collections, or unbeatable quality that speak directly to your ideal customer.

IRL Example of Acquisition

For instance, the nursing and maternity wear brand Kindred Bravely sent prospecting postcards to an audience of new and expecting mothers, and it speaks directly to customers who are potentially desperate for the product (a hands-free pumping bra):

The results? An ROAS of 3.07 and a 1.88% conversion rate.

Retargeting: Capturing Missed Opportunities

Retarget with direct mail? Yep, you can do that.

When emails can go unopened and retargeting ads go unclicked, direct mail shines and drives conversions by pushing those “fence sitters” into buyers. Here’s how brands are using direct mail retargeting:

Hitting The Big 3

1. Browse Abandoners: Target and convert lukewarm leads. A pixel can be set up to ID them, and the platform has a solid success rate at matching the browser to addresses.

2. Non-Buying List Subs: Now, we’re getting warmer. When someone signs up and a platform gets their email and number, the targeting improves (and so does the ROI). Slap a postcard at the end of your welcome flow.

3. Cart abandoners: HOT! Same idea as above. Add a postcard to the end of your abandoned cart flow. Don't miss the opportunity.

Here’s a few tips to get the most of this mail:

Strike When the Iron Is Hot

Or, whatever the direct mail version of that is… The point is, the timing of your follow-up matters. 

Often, brands see strong results sending a retargeting postcard(s) at the end of their welcome or abandoned cart email flows, which tend to be between 5–20 days.

Per. Son. Al. Ize.

Personalization goes beyond using their name—though that's a good start. 

Three ideas here:

• If it’s a post-welcome mailer sent to non-buyers, reiterate your welcome messaging: why someone may have signed up, the value props of your brand, and a great offer.
• If it’s an abandoned cart mailer, show customers the product category they left in their cart.
• If it’s a browse abandonment postcard, send them a postcard showing them the last product they looked at.

The long and the short of it: flip your best email assets, copy, and tactics onto a postcard.

Add an Incentive

A 20–35% discount works depending on the postcard. The discount can correlate with the “warmth” of the lead.

[Add KURU abandoned cart postcard from https://www.postpilot.com/direct-mail-examples/kuru]

While a browse abandoner is more of a “window shopper” and could use a little extra convincing, dial up the discount. But if they’re a cart abandoner, they can get nudged to purchase with a standard-ish 20% discount.

IRL Example of Retargeting

The outdoor pizza oven brand Gozney sent a postcard showing off their beautiful products to browse abandoners. Check it out:  

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And the results were stellar: $116k in revenue (on 151 orders) and a 16x ROAS.

Retention & Reactivation: Keeping Customers Coming Back

Most customers drift away after their first purchase. But direct mail can help (a lot). 

Retention is direct mail’s superpower. It ensures your brand stays top-of-mind and can bring even the churniest customers back into the fold.

Lead with Data

Here are a couple data-driven moves to drive second purchases:

• If they purchased your hero product, feature the product(s) most commonly purchased next.
• If you’re selling a replenishable product, and they’re not in your subscription program, fire off a postcard if they haven’t purchased at the end of your typical first-to-second purchase window.

Reconnect With Lost Customers

When customers disappear, a warm “We Miss You” mailer can revive their interest without a steep discount. 

[Add a relevant image of a postcard]

Sometimes, just reminding them that you noticed their absence is enough. Include a soft incentive like early access to new products or exclusive offers tailored specifically to their past purchase habits.

Focus on Your VIPs

Your best customers deserve special treatment. Reward their loyalty with exclusive direct mail offers, previews of upcoming launches, or personal appreciation notes. Check out what Portland Leather Goods did for their “Unicorn Whispers” (their ultra-ultra VIPs):

This is just an awesome design. It’s in line with what they’re doing for email, it’s fun, and only a very small number of customers actually got it. So, in a world where “exclusive” kinda doesn’t mean anything anymore, this WAS exclusive. And it drove a crazy-high 15x+ ROI. 

BTW… Don’t Forget, Test.

Direct mail is like any marketing channel—it thrives with ongoing optimization. Just because one campaign doesn’t work doesn’t mean the channel doesn’t work.

(How many emails have you sent that, well, didn’t knock it out of the park?)

Regularly test different formats, messaging, and incentives. 

Experiment with postcard sizes, designs, and sending frequencies to identify what resonates best. 

Small tweaks can dramatically improve results over time. You know the marketing game. It applies to direct mail, too.

Direct Your Mail Questions to Us

We’re PostPilot, and we can do literally everything you just read. (We know, we were extremely subtle.)

And a whooooooooole lot more. 

Direct mail is an incredibly effective, hyper-targeted high-performing, incredibly measurable, easy-to-test channel that targets your entire funnel.

At least as we do it.

Read more about us here.

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