Young Adults Prefer Direct Mail to Online Offers

North American consumers in the 18-34 year-old demographic prefer to learn about marketing offers via direct mail and newspapers rather than online sources such as social media like FaceBook, according to survey research from ICOM, a division of Epsilon Targeting. The ICOM research shows that attitudes toward the trustworthiness of mail versus online offers increased for all age groups from 2008 to 2010. The study, based on 4778 households in the U.S. and Canada, focused on consumer preferences for receiving marketing information, offers and promotions. Responses came from consumers ranging in age from 18 to 55 and above. With the exception of travel related promotions, which show a slight preference for online, direct mail offerings were preferred by a ratio of two or three to one. 

"A key takeaway from this research is that marketers targeting coveted 18-34 year olds, who are tempted to invest solely in social media could be missing a significant portion of their audience," said ICOM Vice President Warren Storey.

Product Offline Preferences  Online Preferences  Food Products 66% 23%  Cleaning Products 66% 20%  Personal Care 62% 22%  Over the Counter Medicine 53% 21%  Sensitive Health Products 46% 21%  Prescription Medicine 45% 22%  Financial Services 44% 19%  Insurance 43% 21%  Travel 35% 42%