Direct mail is a classic marketing method pioneered 150 years ago by department store company Montgomery Ward, when it sent out its first mail-order catalog. Despite dominating nearly 38% of the US ecommerce market, Amazon still employs this traditional method to reach customers. The company’s 2024 Holiday Kids Gift Book—part traditional catalog and part interactive activity book—featured products, as well as games, gift ideas, a removable wish list, and QR codes for convenient purchasing.
Read on to explore direct mail marketing for ecommerce, and discover campaign ideas and best practices for creating effective direct mail campaigns in 2025.
What is direct mail?
Direct mail is a physical promotional material that is mailed to customers or prospects. Traditionally, direct mail comes in postcard, product catalog, letter, and pamphlet form. While direct mail marketing may seem like an outdated choice, there are advantages to including it in your marketing plan.
As consumers face increasing digital fatigue, physical mail offers a refreshing alternative, with 56% of respondents to a United States Postal Service study saying that receiving mail is a “real pleasure.”
Benefits of direct mail marketing for ecommerce businesses
Direct mail marketing—sending a physical offer by snail mail to a home or business—is a marketing strategy that was assumed to be heading toward obsolescence. However, savvy marketers are returning to it for good reason: it works.
Direct mail’s advantages for ecommerce advertisers include:
- Local targeting: You can focus on the specific locations—including ZIP codes—most likely to contain your desired demographic.
- Less competition: Direct mail doesn’t have to compete with the more than 1,000 unread emails in the average inbox.
- Exposure to decision-makers: According to USPS, the principal household decision-maker usually opens physical mail, increasing the likelihood that your message reaches its intended recipient.
11 direct mail ideas for ecommerce businesses
An effective direct mail campaign can take many forms, depending on the products or services your ecommerce business provides. Here are 11 direct mail campaign ideas:
Traditional direct mail ideas
1. Product samples
A well-run sampling campaign can convertpotential consumers into buyers. Mailing a small sample of perfume or lotion or sending a code that target customers can use to redeem a sample can build trust and instill confidence in your products.
How to get started: Identify your most appealing small-format product that showcases your quality. Package it in branded, protective materials to create a premium unboxing experience. Include clear instructions for use and a special offer for purchasing the full-sized version.
2. Memorable packaging
Direct mail sent in compelling packaging can strengthen brand recognition. Consider tailoring your packaging to highlight your product or brand’s unique value proposition.
How to get started: Brainstorm packaging formats related to your product or value proposition. Work with a print designer who specializes in dimensional mail to ensure your concept can be efficiently produced at scale.
3. Personalized notes
Consider sending handwritten notes to customers once they’ve reached a certain purchase amount. Thanking regular customers for their loyalty can go a long way in fostering positive brand sentiment and customer retention, particularly when they don’t have the opportunity to engage with store representatives in a brick-and-mortar store.
How to get started: Check your customer segmentation to identify your highest-value customers. Create templates with personalization points related to purchase history. Consider hiring a handwriting service for scaling personalized notes.
4. Discount codes
Custom discount codes are an effective way to drive traffic from mail to your online store. Online beauty retailer Glossier has frequently used postcard mailers with unique discount codes to bring customers to their website.
How to get started: Create unique discount codes for tracking purposes. Design eye-catching postcards with a clear call to action and an expiration date to create urgency. Test different discount amounts to find your sweet spot for conversion.
5. Catalogs
A physical catalog can mimic the experience of a store and provide a feeling of escapism, which is especially useful for ecommerce businesses without physical stores. Consider sending a catalog once a quarter or twice a year to generate excitement for seasonal trends and new products.
How to get started: Start small with a short page catalog featuring your bestselling products. Use high-quality photography and include QR codes that link directly to product pages throughout. Consider working with a catalog specialist for your first edition.
Interactive direct mail ideas
6. Augmented reality integration
Augmented reality (AR) transforms static mail into an interactive digital experience. By including an AR marker on your mailer and prompting recipients to scan it with their smartphone, you can display 3D product models, virtual try-on experiences, or interactive games. Furniture retailer Wayfair uses AR-enabled mailers that let customers visualize how furniture would look in their homes.
How to get started: Partner with an AR development agency or use platforms like Zappar or Blippar to create AR experiences. Test your AR functionality across multiple devices before launching your campaign.
7. QR codes with personalized landing pages
By generating unique QR codes for each recipient, you can direct customers to personalized landing pages featuring products you think they’ll like based on their previous purchases or browsing history. This creates a seamless bridge between physical mail and digital shopping and provides you with valuable tracking data.
How to get started: Use a dynamic QR code platform such as Shopify’s QR code generator to create unique codes. Create landing page templates that can be dynamically populated with personalized content. Ensure your analytics are set up to track conversions from each unique code.
8. Sensory mail pieces
Engaging multiple senses creates memorable marketing. Incorporate scent, texture, sound, or taste into your direct mail to create a multi-sensory experience that digital marketing simply cannot match.
How to get started: Consider which sensory element best represents your product. For scents, work with a printer offering microencapsulated scent technology. For sound, investigate slim audio modules that can be embedded in heavier card stock.
9. Dimensional mail
Three-dimensional mail pieces such as boxes, tubes, or custom shapes stand out from flat envelopes and can intrigue potential clients.
How to get started: Consider packaging designs that relate to your product or create intrigue. Collaborate with a specialty printer that specializes in creating custom formats with efficient mailing structures, minimizing postage costs while maximizing impact.
10. Video mailers
Video mailers incorporate small LCD screens and speakers into printed materials, autoplaying when opened. These premium direct mail pieces create a true “wow” factor that’s particularly effective for luxury products, high-value services, or important announcements. Although costlier than other mailers, they combine the impact of video with the tangible benefits of direct mail.
How to get started: Work with specialized video brochure vendors who handle the technical aspects. Create short, engaging video content (30 to 60 seconds) that gets straight to the point, highlighting your value proposition.
11. Sequential mailing campaigns
Sequential campaigns deliver a series of coordinated pieces that tell a story over time. This approach builds anticipation and keeps your brand top of mind through multiple touchpoints.
How to get started: Plan a narrative arc across three to five mailings with clear connections between each piece. Space mailings seven to 10 days apart to maintain interest without overwhelming recipients. Ensure each piece builds on the previous one while containing a complete message of its own.
Direct mail best practices for ecommerce
Building a successful direct mail campaign requires strategy. Here are some best practices to keep in mind as you devise your course of action:
1. Target the right audience
Start by segmenting your customer list. Dividing your customer base into groups based on specific characteristics can help you tailor your messaging. For instance, if you sell luxury accessories, you might send elegant, personalized catalogs to customers who have made previous purchases at specific price points, introducing them to new products in similar categories.
Once you have defined your audience segments, use the data to create and refine your messaging. Demographic data, surveys, and focus groups can help you appeal to your target audience. You can also tap into your database, sending direct mail to people who filled out but abandoned an online shopping cart, sending thank you notes to purchasers, or mailing a welcome campaign to new customers to incentivize further purchases.
2. Grab attention with great design
Confusing, boring, or simply unappealing marketing materials are more likely to end up in the trash. Consider using bright colors, large formats, and interesting design elements, such as die cuts or impactful images, to grab your recipient’s attention. To convey your messageeffectively, use concise sales copy and avoid wordiness.
3. Encourage prompt action
Adding a sense of urgency to your call to action (CTA) can prompt your potential customer to action. (For example, “Act now: This offer is only good until February 28”) or “Call now for your free grocery delivery.” Keeping the CTA simple and direct will increase your chances of achieving the desired results.
4. Include digital integration points
QR codes or short, simple links are essential for ecommerce businesses using direct mail. When your customer scans a QR code on a piece of direct mail, it not only directs them right to where they can buy your products online, but it can also allow you to save contact information and track the engagement of your marketing campaign. You can use QR codes or links to offer one-time or limited-time redeemable incentives and incentivize purchases.
5. Measure and track performance
Implementing tracking mechanisms is key for measuring the return on investment (ROI) of your direct mail campaigns. Use unique promo codes, personalized URLs (PURLs), QR codes with UTM parameters, or dedicated phone numbers to attribute traffic and conversions to specific campaigns. Set up conversion tracking in your analytics platform to monitor not just initial traffic but the full customer journey that originates with each direct mail piece. This data helps optimize future campaigns by identifying which formats, offers, and audience segments perform best.
How to integrate direct mail with your digital marketing
Effective direct mail can be an effective component of an integrated marketing strategy, but it’s not a standalone tactic. Here’s how to seamlessly connect your direct mail and digital marketing efforts:
Creating a seamless offline-to-online experience
The transition from mail to website should feel cohesive and natural. Use consistent branding, messaging, and visuals across both channels to reinforce your brand identity. When customers scan a QR code or click on a URL from your mailer, they should be directed to a visually cohesive landing page.
Consider creating dedicated landing pages that continue the conversation you started in the physical piece. Landing pages should maintain consistent imagery and messaging while expanding on the mailer’s messaging.
For multichannel reinforcement, support your direct mail campaigns with coordinated email follow-ups and social media content.
Direct mail automation platforms
Modern direct mail platforms have transformed the process of creating, sending, and tracking physical mail. Services like Lob, Postie, and Postalytics integrate directly with ecommerce platforms and CRM systems, allowing you to trigger personalized direct mail based on customer actions or data points.
These platforms enable sophisticated workflows such as automatically sending a catalog when a high-value prospect abandons their cart or a thank you note when someone makes their third purchase. Automation reduces operational burden and makes direct mail more responsive and timely.
Many platforms also offer detailed analytics on delivery times, response rates, and conversion tracking. According to the USPS, the average time to deliver mail across the nation was 2.7 days as of early 2024, making automated direct mail responsive enough for many marketing needs.
Measuring direct mail ROI for ecommerce
Calculating the return on investment for direct mail requires tracking both costs and conversions. Start by calculating your total campaign cost, including design, printing, mailing lists, postage, and platform fees. Then track conversions using PURLs, QR codes, or other methods mentioned above.
For the most accurate ROI calculations, use control groups—segments of your target audience that don’t receive the mail piece. This way, you can measure the incremental lift provided by the direct mail campaign rather than attributing all subsequent purchases to the mailing.
Direct mail ideas FAQ
What are some common direct mail formats?
Postcards, brochures, letter mailers, catalogs, and 3-D print mailers are all examples of commonly used direct mail formats.
How can I make my direct mail stand out?
Use snappy headlines, include free samples or discounts, provide an expiration date for urgency, personalize it, or include a sample, if possible.
What are some best practices for direct mail targeting?
To enhance the effectiveness of your direct mail campaigns, target your audience effectively using customer data, incorporate a QR code or link on your mailers, include clear contact information and a concise call-to-action (CTA), and capture their attention with a visually impactful design.
How can I save money on direct mail?
To save money on direct mail, buy direct mail credits in bulk, regularly purge your mailing list of invalid addresses, and target the right audience so each piece of mail is as effective as possible.
Is direct mail environmentally sustainable?
Direct mail can be environmentally responsible when using sustainable practices. Opt for recycled or FSC-certified papers, vegetable-based inks, and right-sized pieces that minimize waste. Many providers now offer carbon-neutral mailing options and programs for consumer recycling.
How can I track the effectiveness of direct mail campaigns?
Track efficacy using unique coupon codes, custom URLs, campaign-specific QR codes, dedicated landing pages, or phone tracking numbers.
