According to new research, UK consumers purchase over £26 billion worth of goods through Direct Mail each year, an increase of 4.7% on the 2002 figure of £25.1 billion.
With total 2002 Direct Mail expenditure rising to £2.378 billion and volume reaching 5.233 billion items, Direct Mail continues to remain an integral part of the marketing communications mix for UK advertisers.
The new study, carried out on behalf of the Direct Mail Information Service, polled consumers throughout the country, finding that 41% had purchased as a result of Direct Mail, with the value of goods reaching £26.3 billion. UK consumers spent an average of just over £577 in the last year as a result of being mailed.
Of the £26.3 billion, over 36% - or £9.53 billion - is spent on clothes, underlining the strength of the mail order sector, which was responsible for mailing 580 million items in 2002.
The amount spent on both books and entertainment has more than trebled in the past year. Books now account for £4 billion and entertainment £0.6 billion. The spend on electrical goods has declined to £1.8 billion from £4 billion in 2002, whilst items for household use have seen the largest decline in spend, down 73% on the 2002 figure to £0.9 billion.
The research shows that some 62% of the overall total spend was generated by those in the ABC1 bracket with the remaining 38% from the C2DE segment.
Those in the 35-54 age bracket are most likely to purchase through Direct Mail with 49% purchasing at least once in the last year. This compares to 38% for the 16-34 year old age group and 37% for the 55+ age group. Geographically, those in the North spend more through Direct Mail, accounting for 66% of the total compared to 34% in the South.
Of the 41% who purchased through Direct Mail, 20% spent between £1 and £100 with 17% spending between £101 and £300. At the other end of the scale 1% said they had spent over £10,000 through the medium in the last year.
