Do Younger Buyers Respond to Direct Mail Marketing?

We all know how fashion trends run in cycles. Suddenly, bell bottoms, go-go boots, leather trench coats, and groovy flower patterns are back in style.

Funny enough, marketing follows a similar life cycle. 

Today, we often encounter the misconception that direct mail “doesn’t work” for younger age demos and only resonates with Baby Boomers.

The assumptions:

• Older = less digital 
• Younger = more digital 

But in the same way that TikTok is now light years beyond a Gen Z and Gen Alpha platform—with both millennials and Gen X users taking their piece of the pie—direct mail can resonate with everyone, too. 

Think about it… 

Aren’t the younger generations who revived the fashion aesthetics mentioned above? Boomers look at young folks and say, “I used to have bell bottoms just like that! I should have kept them.”

See the (groovy) pattern?

Direct Mail: The Only Way to Reach Everyone

At a high level, certain benefits of direct mail apply to every generation. 

Namely, its reach. It doesn’t get lost in the “e-maelstrom.” 

• Virtually everyone, regardless of age, checks their mailboxes.
• Mail recipients can hold or look at a postcard or catalog IRL.
• An email may be opened for 5 seconds, but a mailer may hang out on a fridge or table for weeks.

But let’s move into some data.

The United States Postal Service (USPS) conducted a generational study on Mail & E-Commerce and discovered 72% of Gen Z individuals are disappointed to no longer receive mail and 33% are inclined to make a purchase if they see direct mail in their mailbox. 

So yes, younger generations like receiving direct mail. That said, it works across age groups for different reasons. 

Generational Opinions of Direct Mail and How to Target Each One

Typically, there are five reasons why younger generations actually prefer direct mail:

1. Digital Fatigue in Younger Generations: Younger generations often experience digital fatigue, feeling overwhelmed by never-ending digital interactions. 
2. Researched Preference for Direct Mail Marketing: 57% of consumers aged 18 to 34 found direct mail marketing "very useful," ranking the highest of all age groups. Younger age groups prefer direct mail simply because it feels more authentic and personal than digital ads. 
3. Trust and Value in Physical Mail: Millennials prefer direct mail over email simply because it’s more reliable. 67% of millennials view physical mail as more personal than an email which can get mistaken for spam or junk. 
4. Decreased Competition: Direct mail volume dropped after the 2007 recession, indicating more room inside mailboxes and more opportunities to stand out.
5. Credibility and Safety: Direct mail feels safe; it's trustworthy. Young customers associate direct mail with credibility and legitimate marketing, compared to digital channels that impose the risks of scams and cyber threats. 

Let's go further and break down down by generational data around mail.

Gen Z

Gen Z spends much of their time online. 

They’re constantly bombarded with digital content, which makes physical mail stand out as unique and memorable in an overwhelmingly digital world. 

The point? 

Direct mail is simply more interesting to younger consumers than digital ads.

The USPS study concludes that 72% of Gen Zers say that the deals are the most effective element of a direct mail campaign. This is followed by easy-to-find branding, favored by 54%, and colorful images and texts, also favored by 54%.

Interesting that the design is almost equally important as the message…  

So, don’t skimp on your postcard design.

Additionally, Gen Z is conscious of our environment, with 70% of the generation thinking it’s important to see recycling information in their mail. What this means for DTC businesses is that direct mail made from sustainable sources is valuable to younger generations. 

A Gen Z Direct Mail Campaign Tip

Given Gen Z’s digital fatigue, there is substantial interest in “analog” hobbies when they’re not online, which range from interests in vinyl to traditional photography. 

In that vein, something that resonates with them (that also hits on their desire for “experiences and personalization”) is putting pen to paper, which can be done with direct mail via handwritten cards. 

Handwritten results:

Plum Deluxe is an example of a business that successfully incorporates personalization in their direct mail. 

Plum Deluxe, a monthly tea subscription service, sought a way to send personalized birthday cards with a strong design scheme to its Tea Club members. The brand partnered with PostPilot to send its customers handwritten birthday cards. 

And how did this perform? Exceptionally. 

Their handwritten birthday cards yielded an average ROAS of 9.6x and a 28.5% average conversion rate.

Millennials

Not only do millennials appreciate direct mail that caters to their needs and interests, but they also admire direct mail campaigns that provide genuine value—whether monetary, exclusive, or educational—such as coupons, invitations, or informative content. 

As a generation that experienced both traditional and digital forms of marketing, it makes sense that today, these groups value aspects of both. 

USPS discovered this in its report, sharing how this generation values the traditional aspects of direct mail but with the incorporation of digital technologies, including QR codes that link to the business’s website.

In fact, 47% of millennials visited a brand’s website after receiving a direct mail campaign.  

A Millennial Direct Mail Campaign Tip

The USPS reports that Millennials say they receive digital offers too often and that they’re “more likely to look at companies they’ve done business with in the past.” 

Millennials can be more receptive to direct mail after unsubscribing from email and SMS. 

A certain Squatch, M.D. found that firsthand…

Cleaning up with direct mail:

Take a look at Dr. Squatch, the beloved natural soap company: 

Dr. Squatch ran into a common problem: email and SMS marketing was simply not enough. 

Even the savviest brands can only reach a fraction of their customers and prospects through those channels.

In many cases, just 10% of a brand’s most valuable audience—previous customers—is getting the message. 

That means lots of money is being left on the table, which was the case for Dr. Squatch.

Deciding they needed to switch things up, the team planned to achieve two goals:

• Reach customers more effectively than with SMS or email. 
• Add a tangible touchpoint to its marketing portfolio.

To reach those goals, the team created a postcard that was sent to customers who hadn’t made a purchase in 7 to 9 months.

After sending this campaign, customers who hadn’t made purchases in several months and inactive email subscribers started buying again.

Yielding a 12.66% conversion rate and an average ROAS of more than 10x, it’s safe to say that this direct mail campaign was a success. 

Since this campaign, the team has adopted direct mail as a pillar of their marketing—and they’re getting creative with the approach.

Gen X

According to USPS, 56% of Gen X say receiving new information from a brand is the most effective direct mail element. 

This tells us that Gen X appreciates direct mail that offers practical value, such as sales, new product launches, coupons, and general information about offered products and services. 

This age group typically has limited interest in receiving deals via an app or SMS and often sends many emails from retailers to spam or trash. 

A Gen X Direct Mail Campaign Tip

As a generation balancing young kids, home ownership, retirement savings, and aging parents, it’s no surprise that these folks value any way to save.

Also, Gen Xers are more likely to shop online via retailer websites during the holiday season, according to Emarketer. 

Among the brands we work with, we notice that holiday campaigns and sales announcements is a surefire way to grab Gen X’s attention. 

Gozney, the home pizza oven brand, is a Gen eXcellent example of this…

Shrinking Buyer Consideration Windows:

Gozney’s buyer’s journey had a longer consideration window, so the team needed an affordable and reliable way to keep their products at the top of customers’ minds—and to push them to the decision stage sooner.

Partnering with PostPilot, Gozney launched many campaigns, including:

• Holiday Campaigns  (Father’s Day, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and more)
• Abandoned Cart Campaigns 
• Product Launch Campaigns 

Along with leveraging SiteMatch to target anonymous site traffic, Gozney raked up 116k in revenue on 151 orders and saw an ROAS of 16x.

Boomers

Boomers are the most likely to read direct mail across most categories,

And they love their deals.

This generation prefers to read promotional deals via direct mail; 96% say they value coupons.

They also appreciate direct mail's easy-to-read, straightforward messaging, which avoids overly complex and ambiguous content. 

Of course, like other generations, Boomers value personalized communication that addresses their specific needs, such as tailored offers based on their purchasing history or demographic specifics. 

A Boomer Campaign Tip

As the generation that uses coupons the most, it’s common for some brands to only hear from Boomers when there’s a sale. 

In other words, you have to stay top of mind if you want to keep them engaged with your brand and products—and direct mail is one of the best ways to do that since this generation values direct mail the most out of any other.

Instead of only sending campaigns during massive holidays, target buyers who haven’t purchased in a while with a personalized winback campaign during a lower-converting season.

It works.

Just ask this makeup brand that saw a 2,631% ROI: 

Direct Mail? BOOM! For Boomers

89% of Boomers are said to engage with catalogs, and 57% would be disappointed if they didn’t receive direct mail.

You can’t go wrong with a direct mail campaign to this audience.

Enter BOOM! By Cindy Joseph, a cosmetic brand for mature skin. 

The cosmetic industry is competitive, making customer acquisition vital and expensive.

BOOM! needed repeat purchases to keep driving the business forward.  

The team sent a winback campaign using Facebook, email, and direct mail. The reason the team combined these three channels is because they knew it’d be a huge opportunity for three reasons:

• Direct mail is often cheaper than a Facebook ad because the price of postage is capped
• Direct mail is read more than email (average email open rates are 20% … and postcard read rates are 90%+)
• Direct mail allows you to target customers who aren’t on your email list (or unsubscribed) and aren’t on Facebook.

After segmenting buyers by 1) customers who made one or more purchases and 2) who last purchased between 1-2 months prior, the PostPilot team worked with BOOM! to create a limited-time 15% off postcard to send to these customers. 

BOOM! saw an astonishing 2,631% ROI.

This campaign acquired new customers and won back previously lapsed ones. 

Direct Any Mail Questions Our Way

The lesson here is that dismissing direct mail as a marketing relic favored only by older generations is a huge oversight.

From VIP treats to engaging win-back strategies, direct mail is not just surviving—it's thriving, offering new ways to connect, captivate, and build lucrative long-term relationships with your customers. 

So, how can you get started?

For full-service direct mail, we know how to target every generation.

Learn more about PostPilot and what we do here.