Print Drives Online Sales
Article Provided by ChoosePrint.org
Print is a major driver of online sales. Print is a powerful media…and its power is multiplied when used as part of a multi-channel campaign. Print enhances the impact of television, telemarketing, and the internet by providing an extra dimension that’s warm, inviting, highly personalizable, and technologically savvy.
Traffic Lift
Studies show that print advertising drives consumers to online shopping. For example, a study by the Direct Marketing Association[1] shows that 78% of consumers react to direct mail immediately; when they receive mail from a brand that they’re interested in, 44% visit the brand’s website and 34% search online for more information about the product.
Sales Lift
A 2013 study by global management consulting firm Kurt Salmon shows that print catalogs directly boost online sales. They do this by increasing purchase intent – 58% of online shoppers surveyed said they browse catalogs for ideas, and 31% have a retailer’s catalog handy when they make an online purchase – and by increasing the average order size (compared to internet-only customer shopping) by 12.5%.[2] Another study, by Exact Target, found that 65% of consumers surveyed have been directly influenced to purchase an item or service thanks to a direct mail piece.[3]
Brand Awareness in the Digital Age
Consumers are more likely to learn about new brands, products, and services from print media (e.g., magazines and newspapers), television and online media (e.g., news site and blogs) rather than from social media channels, such as Facebook and Twitter.[4] In addition, highly active smartphone owners, those who do six or more activities daily on mobile, are both subscribing to and reading more print materials than any of the other groups (smartphone or regular phone owners).[5]
New Opportunities-New Vision
While online and mobile use continues to grow, marketers are acknowledging and voting with their dollars that print media is a vital component of the marketing mix. Print is an integral vehicle in cross media platforms, employing innovative technologies, including PURLS, QR codes, augmented reality, and intelligent print imaging, to bridge the gap between the real and digital worlds.
[1] UK Direct Marketing Association, “From Letterbox to Inbox 2013.”
[2] Kurt Salmon, “Is the Catalog Dead? Not in the Omnichannel World,” 2013
[3] Exact Target, Channel Preference Study, 2012..
[4] eMarketer, “Most Consumers Still Don’t Talk About Brands on Social Sites,” January 10, 2012.
[5] Quoted in Gabrielle Kalika, “Heavy mobile users are highly engaged print consumers as well: InsightExpress,” Mobile Marketing.com, December 15, 2011.
Mid-State Litho, Inc.
5459 Fenton Rd.
Flint, MI 48507
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