Using Postcard Retargeting to Reach Customers Where Digital Ads Can’t

Is your current retargeting strategy to rely on Meta and Google ads? 

For many brands, the cost-per-click is sky-high, with conversions often falling short—making these channels both pricey and hit-or-miss.

Take a look at recent data from the DTC Index, a monthly report on ecommerce performance and consumer sentiment:

In September 2024, ROAS across Meta and Google ads were negative. 

• Meta CPMs rose by 5% compared to the previous month, while ROAS slipped to -2%. 
• Google Search CPMs dropped by -1%, yet ROAS fell further to -9%.

The U.S. election may have impacted these numbers, but it underscores a broader point: ad platforms are inconsistent, and influenced by seasonal shifts, trends, and major events. 

As a result, they remain costly and, at times, ineffective for brands.

This isn’t to say you shouldn’t invest in paid ads, but there’s another channel that can help balance your efforts: direct mail, where customers don’t just scroll—they stop, read, and buy.

For many online shoppers, an extra nudge is all it takes to convert. 

Keeping direct mail retargeting as an "always-on" automation provides a steady, effective tool in your marketing toolbox.

(Just like digital ads.)

What is Postcard Retargeting? 

Postcard retargeting (like any direct mail retargeting) uses physical mail—in this case, postcards—to re-engage potential customers who have interacted with your brand online but haven’t yet converted. 

(Yes, direct mail does that.)

As with digital retargeting, you can track user behavior, such as site browsing, adding items to cart, and email engagement to send personalized messages.

But what’s the difference with direct mail retargeting? 

In short, it’s more impactful. 

The tactile nature of direct mail makes a more memorable impact to bring people back to your site and encourage them to complete a purchase.

Direct mail gets 28x better engagement than online campaigns that your prospects may not even see. 

That’s because shoppers expect to receive retargeting digital ads or emails after abandoning a cart. Some even do it on purpose to hold out for that 15% coupon. 

Lower Your CAC with Direct Mail Retargeting

Customer acquisition costs (CAC) have soared over the past decade, increasing 222% in the last 10 years. Relying on digital ads means higher costs with lower returns. On average, brands lose $29 for each new customer acquired, up from $19 a decade ago.

Despite all efforts to drive traffic, cart abandonment rates have hit 73.9%, meaning even high-intent visitors often leave without purchasing

This is where postcard retargeting shines. By leveraging user data, you can create highly personalized postcards that increase engagement and offset rising CAC by converting more of your existing traffic into sales.

Think of it like having a predictive tool for reaching your audience. Direct mail retargeting can:

• Increase your conversion rates by up to 70%.
• Optimize your budget for smarter, more efficient spending.
• Boost your sales and strengthen brand visibility. 

How To Set Up a Postcard Retargeting Campaign

Postcard retargeting is perfect for prospects who’ve engaged with your brand but need an extra nudge. Here’s how you can set it up in three steps with PostPilot:

1. Postcard retargeting by shopper intent 

Think of direct mail as a personalized letter.

In other words, make it relevant. 

Your postcards need to show you understand the user’s intent, so they feel like you're offering value, not just adding to the clutter. A successful retargeting strategy goes beyond website behavior—it includes tracking email, social media, and other touchpoints.

To create targeted postcard campaigns, track:

• Pages Visited and Time Spent: Monitoring what content users engage with on your website gives you insight into their interests and intent.
• Email Engagement: Track actions like opens, clicks, and whether they take action, e.g., purchasing after an abandoned cart email. 
• Actions Taken Across Channels: Monitor form completions, cart additions, or social media interactions for a more holistic view of intent.

We know it sounds like a lot of work—but with PostPilot’s integrations with platforms like Klaviyo, Shopify, and other ecom apps, this process becomes simple. (Campaigns can be set up with a dedicated account manager based on chosen parameters.)

2. Choose your campaign type and segment your audience 

Direct mail retargeting bypasses digital roadblocks like privacy restrictions, spam filters, and ad blindness. Use data to retarget email subscribers, anonymous website visitors, and more. 

Get started with one of our core retargeting types: 

• SiteMatch^TM: Convert anonymous visitors into customers by matching 20–40% of web traffic to physical addresses. Then send personalized postcards and watch the sales flow in.
• MailMatch^TM: No address? No problem. Target prospects with email-based retargeting, and we’ll find their mailing address for you.
• CartMatch^TM: Reach cart abandoners with direct mail, bypassing digital noise to complete the sale.

Segmenting your audience based on their intent ensures that your messages, promotions, and calls-to-action hit the mark. 

You can also figure out who not to send direct mail to. 

PostPilot can help you exclude certain shoppers from your postcard campaigns so you don’t waste ad dollars on shoppers who aren’t going to convert. For example: 

• Customers who have recently purchased don’t need immediate follow-up through direct mail. 
• Not every site visitor shows strong buying intent. User behavior like short visit durations, high bounce rates, or lack of engagement with key pages signals low intent not worthy of postcard retargeting. 
• If a customer frequently returns products or cancels orders, they may be less valuable to your business in the long term. 
• Even reconsider funneling your retargeting budget into your most loyal customer segment. Reduce spend by strategically spacing out direct mail retargeting for repeat customers or frequent site visitors to avoid bombarding them too frequently. Instead, reach out when it’s most relevant. 

3. Design compelling postcards

Your postcard design can make or break the sale. 

Blunt?

Maybe. But also true. 

The key to designing a postcard campaign that sells is transforming your most successful email creatives into postcard form. Crafting postcards that drive conversions requires a blend of compelling visuals, personalized messaging, and a clear call to action. 

When designed with intent (remember our first point on retargeting by intent?), postcards become a powerful tool to re-engage potential customers and guide them back to your site to complete their purchase.

Here’s what you need to focus on:

• Personalization: Tailor your postcard’s message to reflect the recipient’s browsing habits or previous interactions. This could mean referencing specific products they viewed or personalizing offers to their preferences.
• Engaging Visuals: Use eye-catching design elements that resonate with your brand identity while ensuring the imagery connects with your audience. Whether it’s vibrant product images or sleek, minimalistic designs, your postcard should instantly grab someone’s attention.
• Clear Call-to-Action (CTA): Include a prominent, action-driven CTA encouraging recipients to take the next step. Phrases like "Shop Now" or "Redeem Your Discount" give clear direction and urgency. Grab their attention and then drive action. 
• Compelling Offers: Highlight time-sensitive discounts or special promotions to create a sense of urgency and prompt immediate action.
• Consistency Across Channels: Ensure your postcard design and messaging align with your other marketing efforts for a cohesive customer experience.

(BTW, if you're on a qualifying plan at PostPilot, you won't have to do any of this, because our in-house artists will design everything for you.)

Direct Mail Retargeting Examples in Action

See how three ecommerce brands use postcard retargeting for everything from retargeting email subs to enhancing nurture campaigns. 

&Collar Drives 10x+ ROI among email subscribers who haven’t purchased yet 

To drive never-buyers to their first purchases, &Collar has used MailMatch^TM, which enables brands to send direct mail to physical addresses based on email addresses alone.

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MailMatch can be timed to dynamically send postcards to customers who go through a welcome flow without purchasing (which &Collar did).

Using MailMatch, &Collar has targeted customers who signed up for email but who had not purchased in over 30 days, seeing a 10x+ ROI in the process.

Taylor Stitch saw 10x+ ROI during BFCM by automating retention postcard retargeting 

Men's brand Taylor Stitch embraced direct mail campaigns since launching with PostPilot in 2022. They decided to keep retention campaigns “switched on” to bring in revenue all year round. 

During BFCM, Taylor Stitch sent postcards to email subscribers receiving their BFCM campaigns “0 times” and to those with multiple bounces. By thinking outside the inbox, they could reach customers where email couldn’t. 

The result? Major revenue from their seasonal postcard campaign, with direct mail campaigns averaging 10x+ ROI, and up to 15x ROI for winback campaigns.

Gozney nurtured customers through a long-consideration phase with Cardalogs™

UK-based Gozney, known for its gorgeous at-home pizza ovens, needed to stay top-of-mind with its prospects. 

Since most people don’t drop serious dough on an at-home pizza oven on a whim, Gozney needed to find a way to nurture prospects, including anonymous site visitors, through a lengthy consideration period. 

That’s where direct mail, specifically the combo of SiteMatch™ and Cardalogs™, came in handy. The Gozney team sent Cardalogs™ (part postcard, part catalog) featuring some of their products to shoppers, encouraging them to “Give the gift of fire.” 

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The unique retargeting campaign drove $116k in revenue (on 151 orders) and delivered a 16x ROAS. 

More dough in every sense of the word. 

Learn more about postcard retargeting with PostPilot

We said it once, and we’ll say it again: direct mail works. And it can work for your ecom brand too. 

Places to start:

• Learn more about PostPilot.
• Check out some direct mail examples designed by our superstar in-house design team.
• Read a popular success story: how GOOD AMERICAN uses PostPilot to drive full-funnel revenue with direct mail.

Or, if you're just ready to chat, head over here.