Annual door drop volumes continue to decline year-on-year

The Data & Marketing Association (DMA) has revealed its latest insights into the door drop industry in its ‘Annual Door Drop Industry Report 2020’.

The figures reveal a year of decline in terms of door drop volumes, with annual volumes falling from 5.4 billion last year, to 4.8 billion. The annual volumes have declined by nearly one billion in just over two years, reducing from 5.7 billion in 2017.

According to the latest data, the number of door drops delivered per household, per week continued to decline – now down to 3.3 on average this year. In 2015, the average door drop frequency stood at 4.22 per household.

There was a degree of stability observed in the annual revenues spent on door drops at just under £259 million for the year – this was around £258 million in 2018.

Tim Bond, Head of Insight at the DMA, said: “After a challenging year in 2018, it was hoped that 2019 might be a year of positive change for the door drop industry. However, continued uncertainty about Brexit and a General Election just before Christmas meant it was another tricky 12 months for many brands. This is reflected in the results of this year’s analysis, with volumes reducing while spending remained steady.”

Understanding engagement

The overall reduction in volume clearly impacts the number of door drops a household receives, but another key factor is targeting. Continued improvements in the use of data, planning and strategy across the data and marketing industry ultimately improve efficiency for the medium too. All allowing brands to send more data-driven door drop campaigns than ever.

The latest insights from JICMAIL’s Mail Media Metrics show that despite the reduction in the number of items households are receiving, the reach and frequency for these mail items remain strong. The reach, that’s the number of people in a household who have been exposed to the door drop, is 1.05 – meaning for every 100 items sent 105 people are actually reached. While frequency, the number of times a door drop has been interacted with, is almost three times per item (2.80).

The immediate action for almost two-thirds of people (65%) when they receive a door drop is to read/look/glance at it right away. The average lifespan of a door drop is 5.6 days, although for some sectors this can go beyond the 28 days that JICMAIL tracks items in the home too.

Bond continues: “Looking forward to 2020, exactly what the impact of coronavirus means for door drops we will have to wait and see, but I believe it to be an opportunity for a medium that has proved itself time and time again. Whether it’s engaging new customers or fostering loyalty in existing ones, door drops offer an effective, tactile and scalable channel.”

To find out more about the research, visit: https://dma.org.uk/research/annual-door-drop-industry-report-2020

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