Direct Mail Automation 101: Automated Direct Mail Marketing for Shopify that Packs a Punch

As far as direct mail marketing is concerned, you’ve likely seen it all.

Don’t worry, we know you can’t stand another cliché blog about direct mail without losing it.

And that’s why we’ve teamed up with our friends at PostPilot to build the last and only direct mail overview you’ll ever need. 

And we’re ditching the slow and cumbersome limitations of traditional mail.

Newsflash: there’s a new (and more popular!) kid on the block, and her name is direct mail automation.

Why should you care?

• People prefer direct mail to email in all industries
• Up to 90% of direct mail gets opened, compared to only 20-30% of emails
• Direct mail recipients purchased 28% more items and spent 28% more money than people who didn’t get that piece of direct mail
• If you are marked as spam, they will never receive your email

What Makes Direct Mail Automation Different from Traditional Direct Mail?

Short answer: everything.

Writing copy, designing mail, collecting and checking addresses—rinse and repeat. Nobody wants to put this amount of work in traditional direct mail.

Direct mail automation takes the suck out of this traditional process, ensuring that the only thing you’ll be spending time on is making ridiculous returns on top-tier campaigns. No more “it’s time to walk to the post office.” No more “I wish I wasn’t a DTC marketer,” grumbles.

And it’s all possible thanks to:

1. Automation and Triggers

Sending the right message to the right consumer at the right time is essential in any medium.

Triggers in direct mail automation are just like triggers in digital. Your target audience takes an action, a trigger “senses” this action, and without wasting a minute, they are sent an offline personalized response.

Direct mail automation blows traditional direct mail out of the water with this.

2. Native Ecom Integrations

Let’s state the obvious – manual transfer of data sucks.

Well with direct mail automation this time waster is not a concern.

Name an ecom platform or digital tool, there is likely an integration available. PostPilot works with Shopify, Klaviyo, Omnisend, Recharge, Attentive, and more!

You can rest easy knowing your tech stack is doing the work for you.

3. Real-time Tracking

Imagine not being able to track the performance of your email campaigns or digital ads. Not fun right?

Well that’s what direct mailers have been settling for since the USPS was established.

But settle no longer because real-time tracking is now a possibility thanks to newer direct mail automation software (like PostPilot).

Powered by a direct Shopify integration, real-time tracking and powerful built-in dashboards drive timely, informed decisions about what’s working, what’s not, and how you can make adjustments to improve campaign results. No more endless spreadsheets or matchbacks.

From send status to campaign ROI to coupon ROAS, get nitty gritty with the data

So Does it Work?

Of course, or else we wouldn’t be writing this article… 

But in all seriousness, direct mail rocks. The surprise and delight experience breaks through the digital clutter faced by our customers who are more often craving authenticity.

The channel is super interactive, and when you layer on automation and personalization your brand affinity goes through the roof. 57% of customers feel truly valued when they receive direct mail.

And there’s not nearly as much competition as oversaturated digital channels. With 90%+ open rates and the ability to target those who have opted out, it’s no surprise that DTC brands see between 5x to 10x ROAS on customer winbacks.

Take, for example, HexClad, a fast-growing cookware company that generated $800K in sales from new customers thanks to direct mail.

HexClad had tried all the marketing tricks—ran TV spots during national baseball championships, partnered with Gordon Ramsay, and ramped up its digital ad spending. Yet, they wanted to diversify their marketing efforts even more. Enter PostPilot. 

HexClad used direct mail to persuade prospective customers to make their first purchase and bring lapsed VIPs back into the fold. And… it worked. Check out the full success story.

Want to learn more and launch your own direct mail test? Our friends at PostPilot will be happy to help – simply sign up here or email [email protected] to learn more.