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What's a channel that gets nearly 100% open rates? And no, it's not an email with inflated post-iOS15 "opens."
It's direct mail.
Image courtesy of PostPilot. Used for illustrative purposes only.
Here's what makes this even more compelling: postcards cost around $0.55 including postage, while typical Facebook CPC for eCommerce runs $0.70–$1.40, making direct mail often the lower-cost touch that actually gets seen.
Learn more about why eCommerce businesses are switching to postcard marketing.
If you're already marketing to your customers via email or SMS, then direct mail isn't just the next logical channel expansion. It's the missing piece that could unlock significantly more revenue from your existing customer base while giving you a competitive edge that most brands haven't discovered yet.
Here's what most marketers don't realize about direct mail: it feels personal in a way no subject line ever can.
When a customer gets a physical postcard in their mailbox, they notice it. They pick it up. They actually look at it. Unlike email or SMS, it doesn't get buried under dozens of other notifications, filtered into spam, or lost in an overflowing inbox.
Most brands dismiss direct mail as an outdated tactic from a bygone era. But when you dig into the actual performance data, the story tells something completely different:
This performance advantage becomes even more pronounced when you consider that direct mail gets 28x better engagement than online campaigns that your prospects may not even see.
The beauty of PostPilot is that it takes everything clunky and inefficient about traditional direct mail and transforms it into something that works like modern marketing automation.
Unlike those old-school mail houses that required (and still require) weeks of lead time, massive minimum orders, and complex setup processes, PostPilot makes direct mail as simple and automated as setting up an email sequence. You can create sophisticated flows, trigger campaigns based on exactly what customers are doing on your site, and integrate everything seamlessly into whatever lifecycle marketing stack you're already using.
The key insight here is that it's not about replacing your email campaigns, SMS flows, or paid advertising. It's about layering in another proven, high-ROI touchpoint that guarantees visibility and plugs the gaps where customers might otherwise slip through.
Case-in-point: PostPilot found that, in a 544K postcard data set across 122 campaigns, average incremental ROAS increased by 2.89x for brands who combined direct mail and email together vs. email alone.
There's something fundamentally different about how customers interact with physical mail.
United States Postal Service research shows a majority of households read or scan ad mail—often far more than email gets opened. Unlike emails that get deleted in seconds, postcards have staying power. Direct mail is "sticky"—it can stay in front of your customers for days and weeks, not just seconds.
Think about your own behavior. You might delete dozens of promotional emails without a second thought, but when you get an interesting postcard in the mail, you might stick it on your refrigerator, tuck it in your wallet, or leave it on your kitchen counter as a reminder. That's the kind of lasting impact that digital channels simply can't achieve.
Over the past year, we've seen firsthand how effective automated direct mail can be when you layer it on top of existing lifecycle programs. The power of this approach lies in using advanced targeting, AI, and automation software to drive full-funnel revenue with physical mail. This programmatic approach means you're not just sending generic postcards—you're running sophisticated, behavior-triggered campaigns. Here are some of the most successful campaigns we've implemented:
VIP Thank-You Campaigns — After a customer makes a significant purchase, send them a handwritten-style card thanking them personally. It sounds simple, but the loyalty impact is huge.
Image courtesy of PostPilot. Used for illustrative purposes only.
Winback Flows — You know those customers who used to buy from you regularly but have gone quiet? The ones who aren't opening your emails anymore? A physical postcard often breaks through where digital channels can't. Brands consistently see 10x+ ROI on these campaigns, with some winback campaigns reaching 15x ROI during peak seasons.
Replenishment Reminders — For brands with consumable products, timing is everything. PostPilot can automatically trigger Subscribe & Save offers, restock alerts, or cross-sell campaigns based on when customers likely need to reorder.
Birthday & Anniversary Cards — Here's something cool: PostPilot can send personalized birthday greetings even if you never collected birth dates upfront. Their data enrichment capabilities fill in these gaps automatically.
Product Launches — Instead of hoping your launch email doesn't get lost in the inbox, you can send postcards that land in mailboxes the exact same week your new inventory drops.
Image courtesy of PostPilot. Used for illustrative purposes only.
Abandoned Cart & Browse Flows — Those high-intent shoppers who loaded up their cart but didn't complete checkout? A well-timed physical reminder can be the nudge they need. HexClad used this approach and generated hundreds of thousands in sales during their campaign window by targeting over 21,000 email subscribers who had never converted.
New Customer Acquisition — This is where PostPilot really shines. Their tools like AcquisitionAI, SiteMatch™, and MailMatch™ let you retarget website visitors who didn't convert, or even acquire completely new customers at scale based on lookalike modeling.
What makes this so powerful is that it's full-funnel, programmatic direct mail. You're not just blasting postcards hoping something sticks; you're running sophisticated, behavior-based campaigns to targeted segments.
Q4 isn't just about competing harder in the same channels everyone else is using. It's about breaking through the noise entirely and capturing your customers' attention in a way that actually makes them stop and think about your brand.
This timing is especially critical considering that brands now lose $29 for each new customer acquired, up from $19 a decade ago. Customer acquisition costs have increased 222% in the last 10 years. When digital acquisition costs are at their highest during Q4, direct mail provides a reliable alternative channel that actually works.
Think about your own experience during the holidays. Your inbox is flooded with promotional emails that all start to blur together. Your phone buzzes constantly with SMS offers that you barely glance at. But when you walk to your mailbox and find a beautifully designed postcard from a brand you love? That's a moment that cuts through all the digital chaos.
This is where PostPilot shines. It's not about abandoning your email campaigns or SMS flows. It's about creating a symphony where all your channels work together harmoniously, each playing their unique role in the customer journey. The beauty of PostPilot is that it orchestrates seamlessly with your existing marketing stack, ensuring you're reaching the right customers at the right moments across every touchpoint.
When your email announces a sale, your SMS sends the reminder, and your direct mail piece arrives with a personalized offer, something powerful happens. You're not just sending another promotion. You're creating a cohesive brand experience that feels intentional and premium to your customers.
The programmatic nature of PostPilot means this all happens automatically. You're not guessing which customers should receive which messages. The platform intelligently coordinates with your email and SMS systems to ensure you're maximizing ROI while hitting your profitability targets. Every postcard sent is a strategic decision backed by customer behavior data and lifecycle stage.
During Q4, when everyone is fighting for attention in crowded digital channels, brands using PostPilot are creating memorable moments that customers actually notice and act on. They're building deeper relationships while their competitors get lost in the noise.
The window to implement for Q4 2025 is closing fast. Brands that start testing direct mail in the next 30-60 days will have optimized campaigns running during the most profitable time of the year, while their competitors are still fighting over expensive, crowded digital real estate.
Direct mail might be one of the oldest marketing channels in existence, but with platforms like PostPilot, it's also one of the most modern and underutilized growth opportunities available today.
The opportunity window is particularly compelling right now. Because direct mail has only recently become attainable for most eCommerce businesses, there's no better time to stand out from the competition.
If you're looking to:
...then it's time to seriously consider adding PostPilot to your marketing stack.
The brands that embrace this integrated approach first will have a significant competitive advantage. With Q4 2025 approaching rapidly, the question isn't whether direct mail works—it's whether you'll implement it before your competitors do.
Ready to see how PostPilot can transform your Q4 strategy? The brands seeing the biggest impact during peak season are the ones who started testing earlier in the year. Connect with our team this week and we'll show you exactly how to integrate direct mail into your existing marketing stack to capture the revenue opportunities that 95% of brands are completely missing. Time is running out to get your campaigns optimized before the holiday rush begins.
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