Direct Mail’s Influence Grows, Survey Finds

Don’t write off the print catalog just yet, because its influence on consumers actually appears to be growing. According to a recent survey from BIGresearch, direct mail influenced the purchase decisions of 22.5 percent of consumers, up 4.6 percent from 2006. The recent survey polled more than 15,000 consumers. Here are some more noteworthy findings of the survey:

* Instant messaging’s and blogging’s influences on purchase decisions on electronics grew the most, with instant messaging rising by 22 percent to 7.5 percent of the responding consumers, and blogging up 21.5 percent to 6.1 percent;

* the more traditional media of broadcast and cable TV saw the biggest decreases in influence, down 13.9 percent (27.9 percent of respondents) and 14.4 percent (18.9 percent), respectively;

* word-of-mouth proved to be the most commonly cited influencer, with 42 percent of respondents saying this affects their purchase decisions;

* the influence of new media (instant messaging, blogging, Web radio, e-mail advertising, Internet advertising, satellite radio, video on cell phones) was greater among minority groups, as the influence of each of these media on purchase decisions grew at a higher rate in 2007 than it did among Caucasians;

* 21.5 percent of the respondents are influenced by e-mail ads, up 9.2 percent from the previous year; and

* 23.1 percent said that coupons influence their buying decisions, up slightly from 2006 (1.6 percent).