A slight majority of adults (53%) say they are more likely to play close attention to information they receive via postal mail than email, according to Epsilon, a targeting firm. They prefer postal mail to email for convenience factors, such as:
• Ability to read info whenever it is convenient for them (79%);
• Ability to refer back to info when needed (66%); and
• Can easily take mail to different places to read (46%).
They also cite factors concerning trust issues:
• 36% say information is more private when sent via postal mail;
• 25% think a lot of online info cannot be trusted; and
• 20% simply are more trusting of information sent by mail than email.
The type of information consumers receive affects their preference in how they would like to receive it. In terms of sensitive health info, they overwhelmingly prefer mail (43%) to email (9%). The same is true of all health info to varying degrees, including prescription information (41% prefer mail, 11% prefer email), general health info (37% vs. 11%), and over-the-counter medication (34% vs. 9%). For travel information, 28% choose mail, whereas 13% choose email. They even prefer mail (31%) over email (6%) for information about household services.
Source: “Finding The Right Channel Combination,” Epsilon, 4401 Regent Blvd., Irving, TX 75063; 800-309-0505; info@epsilontargeting.com; www.epsilon.com.
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