Despite the surge in popularity and usage of electronic media, today’s busy consumers look to their post as an anchor in their lives. They enjoy the rituals of receiving and going through the mail. And this includes bills and statements, which are the focus of this report.

The Henley Centre report ‘Beyond the gate’ follows on from research previously commissioned by Royal Mail. The first study ‘Making a statement’ established the importance of posted bank statements and bills in consumers’ lives, and the under-use of them for marketing messages.

The next phase of the study ‘Beyond the gate’ tracks these findings and looks in more detail at the opportunities for using regular customer communications such as statements and bills, as a marketing medium. It examines the importance of the post to consumers, looking at how they process their mail, how and where they sort it, and prioritise it. It also looks at their attitudes to printed statements and bills versus electronic communications.

Key insight
Almost all mail received is opened straight away, even if it is dealt with at a later date. 78% of consumers said that they open advertising mail immediately.

*Source: Henley Centre