10 Ways to Use Automated Direct Mail for Ecommerce Growth

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Ecommerce brands: Your customers and prospects are overwhelmed on digital channels. Their social feeds are crammed with ads. Their inboxes are crammed with marketing emails.

Why not reach them where they’re free and clear -- in their IRL mailboxes, with direct mail. Mailboxes are infinitely less competitive, aren’t affected by Big Tech’s privacy changes, and don’t have spam or promotions folders.

And the best part?

With modern platforms, you can send automated direct mail campaigns that run in the background, driving incremental ecommerce revenue while you focus your efforts elsewhere.

Let’s talk about that in more detail. 10 ways to automate direct mail for ecommerce incoming...

10 ways to automate direct mail for ecommerce growth

1. Recapture abandoned carts

Cart abandonment sucks, but it’s super common. Shoppers add items then leave without buying all the time.

Maybe their cat pukes as they’re about to add their credit card, and they get distracted for 3 weeks. Stranger things have happened.

It’s why nearly every brand saves carts with abandoned email and SMS flows.

And you can do the same thing with direct mail.

Send an automated postcard to follow up with those would-be buyers (like the one above).

The card might show the item left behind—or simply serve as a general reminder of your brand—and offer a small discount plus a CTA to complete the purchase. While an email reminder can be buried or ignored, you can’t ignore something you hold and look at.

• Example automated trigger: “Added an item to cart 7 days ago,” or whenever your abandoned cart flow ends. Even if the person’s never purchased from you before, you can still send them a retargeting postcard.

2. Welcome new customers in style

First impressions matter. When someone buys from you for the first time, surprise them with an automated welcome postcard to match your welcome flow.

It can be a thank-you note or special offer right after their first purchase, or even a handwritten postcard.

This small (automated) gesture goes a long way. It physically sets you apart and can include a discount code to nudge that second purchase A$AP—it’s all about recency, baby.

• Example automated trigger: “Customer subscribed 5–14 days ago.” As with abandoned cart postcards, you can easily time the postcard to arrive right after your welcome flow ends.

3. Turn first-time buyers into repeat customers

Don’t let the first sale be the last.

If a new customer hasn’t bought again within a few weeks, you can send an automated direct mail follow-up as a touchpoint. A few ideas:

• Cross-sell or Upsell
• Limited time offer on the same product category
• “Bounce back campaign:” Introducing a new product category to the customer (see postcard below)

“Bounce back” postcard from Summer Fridays

• Example automated trigger: A great time to send mail to one-time buyers is when they’ve passed the expected first-to-second purchase threshold. This is usually between 30 and 180 days.

4. Win back lapsed customers

Most customers go silent after a while. It’s part of the game. 

But you can fight Big Churn with direct mail.

An automated direct mail win-back campaign can help re-engage those lapsed shoppers.

Venus et Fleur’s trifold targeting churning customers. 

A tangible reminder in their mailbox can revive a relationship that would otherwise fade. It jogs their memory about your brand and gives them a reason to return. Sweeten the deal with a personal incentive like a unique discount or free gift on their next order.

• Example automated trigger: The definition of a “lapsed customer” varies based on the brand, but you can send multiple reminders in the mail when someone is nearing that point. Some brands send half a dozen postcards before the lapse point and half a dozen after.

5. Reward your VIPs and loyal customers

Show love to your best customers. With automated direct mail.

A VIP who receives a physical token of appreciation is more likely to stick around and even spend more. And since it’s automated, you can keep your VIPs engaged and happy without any extra day-to-day effort.

Check out this one from The Beard Struggle that invites customers to their loyalty program:

Whoa, now that is powerful and 100% on brand.

• Example automated trigger: Whenever someone hits VIP status or a big milestone with your brand. This could be a certain number of purchases, loyalty points, total LTR or LTV—or however you define VIP.

6. Celebrate customer birthdays and anniversaries

This one crushes.

Customers love a birthday offer, and they extra love birthday offers that come in the mail.

Note: Grey background for contrast in this article; it is not part of the postcard.

This gesture shows customers you care about more than just transactions. And nothing says “treat yourself” like a lil’ discount code thrown in there.

• Example automated trigger: Some assembly required here. If you can connect your loyalty program to your direct mail platform, you can automate this annual mailer. If you use a programmatic direct mail platform, they’ll have the data regardless, and you just have to tell them to set it live.

7. Reach customers who ignore (or unsubscribe from) email

It’s rough out there. Open rates have gone down, and when someone unsubscribes from your list(s), you’re left to send retargeting ads and pray.

Or, you can use direct mail.

(Yep, you can send direct mail to customers who have unsubbed from email/SMS.)

Tula sent this postcard to customers who had unsubscribed from their email list.

This is a legit tried-and-true way to reactivate customers, and it’s a heck of a lot better than screaming into the digital void.

Even customers who ignore screens check their mail, so you can win back their attention and drive a purchase without missing them online.

• Example automated trigger: Via a Klaviyo integration, you can send mail to “unengaged” or unsubscribed customers at chosen intervals.

8. Retarget leads into customers

Getting someone to sign up for your emails or create an account is (sadly) only half the battle. If they still haven’t made a purchase, get their attention offline.

An automated follow-up can reach leads who haven’t converted yet. This guides prospects toward that all-important first order. A postcard featuring a popular product, can be the push they need to finally buy.

• Example automated trigger: If a new subscriber doesn’t buy within 7–14 days, fire off a postcard. Some brands will set up direct mail flows and send multiple postcards in the first few weeks after someone subscribes to increase the number of touchpoints.

9. Amplify seasonal promotions

In peak shopping seasons and big sale events, automated direct mail shines.

For example, schedule a postcard to hit mailboxes a few weeks before Black Friday (or any major sale) announcing your offer or highlighting gift-worthy products. It primes customers to shop with you when the time comes.

One of HexClad’s (many) automated BFCM postcards

Instead of exclusively waging gladiatorial combat in inboxes, send a postcard, trifold, or even catalog to really stand out from the noise.

• Example automated trigger: Brands like HexClad (above) will automate multiple mailers in the weeks leading up to BFCM to win back customers and retarget recent subscribers.

10. Encourage customer referrals

Your happiest customers can be your best marketers. Why not help them spread the word?

You know where this is going…

You can set up automated refer-a-friend postcards to customers after they purchase.

One of Upway’s automated refer-a-friend postcards

It could thank them for their order and include a special discount code to share with a friend. When that friend uses the code, both people get rewarded. Double-win.

• Example automated trigger: Brands will often send referral offers at the 30-, 60-, 90-, or 180-day mark, depending on the product.

Get started with direct mail automation

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