Direct mail response rates: How to calculate, track and improve them.

When understanding direct mail response rates, it’s important to know that your campaigns are only as smart as the tools you use. At Stannp.com, we offer a wide range of features and tools designed to get the most out of your direct mail campaigns.

What is a response rate?

It’s a calculation or percentage of people who responded or took a specific action out of the total number of people who received a marketing communication.

What is a good response rate for direct mail?

The answer depends on your industry, audience type, offer quality, and campaign execution. Understanding these benchmarks helps you set realistic goals, identify what's working, and optimise future campaigns for better results. 

What is the average response rate for direct mail?

In terms of engagement rates, most direct mail campaigns fall between 0.4% and 3.6%. Improving those engagement rates is about testing and intentional design.

Typically, you will see response rates for a postcard between 4-7%, and for letters, it is slightly lower at 3.5-5%. According to Focus Digital ‘’The average direct mail response rate is 3.63%, but this can vary based on the industry.’’ (Source: Focus Digital)

So which format should you use?

Closed mail pieces are appropriate if you have a sensitive product you are selling, which might have something to do with the recipient’s personal situation.  The fact that the recipient must open the letter is a natural barrier, and of course, there will be some people who don’t.  

However, open mail pieces can make an impact as soon as they hit the doormat.  As the recipient picks it up, they are forced to look at it and decide what action to take. Sometimes, that visibility of being seen by a customer can make a big difference.

How do you calculate direct mail response rates?

Calculating your response rate is straightforward: divide the number of responses by the total number of pieces sent, then multiply by 100. For example, if you send 1,000 postcards and receive 65 responses (calls, website visits via unique URL, coupon redemptions, etc.), your response rate is 6.5% (65 ÷ 1,000 × 100). 

It's important to define what counts as a response before your campaign launches. This could be phone inquiries, QR code scans, website visits using a campaign-specific URL, or in-store visits with a promotional code. Track all response channels consistently to get an accurate picture of your campaign's performance. 

What about the quality of your data?

The quality of the data you are using will have a significant effect on the response rate of your campaign. Some things to consider;

• Where did the data come from? Is it 1st party (your own data) or sourced from somewhere else (2nd or 3rd party data)
• When did you source the data?
• Do you trust that the data is accurate, complete, and current?

Stannp.com tools that can help improve response rates.

The address verification tool.

Upload or feed your data into our system using the address verification tool, and we’ll verify and reformat the address to match the Royal Mail Postal Address File (PAF). It’s fast and reliable. (Available only in the US and the UK)

Radius search tool.

With Stannp.com’s postcode radius search tool (UK only), you can pick a location and find data from the surrounding area. Just drop a pin on your business and decide how many new customers you want. You can even search by full or partial postcode.

This can help increase response rates by ensuring you only send to people within a realistic distance, making your campaign more relevant and actionable. The radius feature is available to all Stannp.com customers for free. 

Is it all about the timing?

Think about the timing of the campaign as much as possible before you dispatch your campaign. What is currently happening to this group that might affect how they respond to your campaign?

While these factors won’t be anything that you could directly influence, if your campaign is poorly timed for that recipient group, it will reduce your response rates. For example;

• Postal volume: Has there just been an election in your target geography? Households tend to get bombarded with post during election campaigns, and as a result, tend to become less responsive to any postal campaigns, known as ‘mail fatigue’, around elections.
• Wage patterns: If you are advertising to consumers, are they likely to be paid weekly or monthly? What stage of the month will your mailing land? Recipients are more likely to impulse buy if they have recently been paid.
• Business cycles: If your campaign is targeting business recipients, what is the business cycle for the sector or industry they are in? Are they likely to have a budget available when they receive the campaign?
• Seasonality: Is your product or service seasonal? If so, are they likely to be in the market for that product now, or are they just not ready to consider it yet?
• Data frequency: How well used is the data? By who? For what purpose? Re-sending to the same recipients isn’t necessarily a problem; in fact, it can increase response rates as long as you don’t overdo it, but make sure you understand how frequently and how many times these recipients have been contacted.

Response rates by industry.

Getting people engaged in the direct mail campaigns is the first thing; once you understand typical engagement rates, you can test rigorously to convert that engagement into tangible responses.

Direct mail response rates vary by industry, but what's truly remarkable is the conversion rate once someone responds. 

According to statistics from the Direct Response Media Group; digital marketing averages 10.75% response rates across channels, and it only converts around 1.75% of those responses into actual customers. 

Direct mail flips this equation, with lower initial response rates, but significantly higher conversion rates. Home services leads with 3.75% response rates and an impressive 15% conversion rate, meaning nearly 1 in 6 respondents become customers. Legal services achieves 4.50% response rates with 15% conversion, while travel and hospitality sees 4.21% response rates converting at 10%. 

Understanding the industry you’re sending to is crucial when looking at your direct mail response rates.

Direct mail shouldn’t work alone.

Supposedly, the average person is exposed to between 4,000 and 10,000 marketing messages a day. At Stannp.com, we know how effective direct mail is at helping you stand out, but it shouldn’t be your only approach.

Direct mail integrates brilliantly with the other channels in your marketing matrix, and building multi-channel campaigns that include direct mail increases the effectiveness of the other channels.

A key to success here is consistency; carry your brand, messaging, colours, fonts, etc. across the range of channels you are using.

The goal is brand familiarity; the recipient has received your mailings, decides to visit your website, and uses the offer code you have mailed. If the look and feel of the site is the same as the mailings, they’re reassured that they are on the right website, your company is genuine, and the offer is real.

These consistent touches across all channels provide positive reinforcement of your message, increasing its effectiveness.

Following up after the campaign.

Structuring your campaign so that you can follow up with your recipients within a reasonable time of them receiving your campaign is a fantastic step towards increasing your responses.

What this looks like will depend on your organisation's size, structure, and capabilities. But make sure your team is well versed in the offer, the product or service(s) you are promoting, and can answer any typical customer question or queries before they start making the follow up calls.

Ready to improve your direct mail response rates?

Response rates are a crucial way of understanding direct mail campaigns and their successes. Unlike email, a traditional click-through rate or open rate isn’t possible. 
Market Reach says ‘’The more you know about how this campaign has performed, the more you can improve your results in the future.’’  (Source: Market Reach).

Whether it’s data analysis, tracking addresses and recipients, getting your timing right or just balancing it with other campaigns, understanding direct mail response rates and how your campaigns perform is key. 

Want to improve your direct mail response rates? Create your free Stannp.com account and send your first campaign with no minimum order required. 

Frequently asked questions.

What is a good response rate for direct mail?

A good response rate depends on your list type and industry, but generally, 4-5% for prospect lists and 5-9% for house lists are considered solid benchmarks. B2C campaigns typically outperform B2B, and the quality of your offer matters more than the channel itself.

What's the difference between response rate and conversion rate?

Response rate measures how many people take any action (call, visit website, scan QR code), while conversion rate measures how many of those respondents become customers. For example, a 5% response rate with 10% conversion means 0.5% of your total audience became customers.

Is 2% a good response rate for direct mail?

A 2% response rate is below average for most direct mail campaigns. If you're seeing 2%, review your targeting, offer quality, and timing; there's likely room for improvement. 

How long should I wait to measure response rates?

Most direct mail responses occur within 2-4 weeks of delivery, with the highest concentration in the first week. However, some campaigns (especially B2B or high-consideration purchases) can generate responses for 6-8 weeks. Track responses for at least 30 days before calculating your final rate.

Can I track direct mail response rates accurately?

Yes. Use unique tracking mechanisms like QR codes, personalised URLs (PURLs), campaign-specific phone numbers, or unique promotional codes. With Stannp.com, you can add trackable QR codes to each piece and monitor scans in real-time through your campaign dashboard.