Royal Mail : New report reveals young people are among the most positive recipients of direct mail

A new report from Royal Mail MarketReach, The Life Stages of Mail, reveals that digitally native young people living at home are among the most positive recipients of direct mail. Young consumers living with their parents (defined as Fledglingsin the report) are 18 per cent more likely than the general population to welcome direct mail and 32 per cent more likely to find it memorable.

The findings are revealed in The Life Stages of Mail report, which can be downloaded from: www.mailmen.co.uk , andwhich defines the seven key life stages for consumers according to age and lifestyle, and explores how each life stage uses and feels about direct mail. The report finds that people of all life stages read, engage with, share, appreciate, and respond to mail - regardless of their use of digital communications and social media.

The research demonstrates that Fledglingsnot only like mail, but also keep and respond to it. Almost a quarter (23 per cent) have bought or ordered something as a result of receiving direct mail in the last 12 months. One in three Fledglings (31 per cent) have kept a piece of direct mail for future reference.

Even though Fledglings spend more time online than on all other media combined, they are 32 per cent more likely to agree that they 'trust mail more than information they find on the internet'. The Fledglings group is also positive about the tangible nature of mail, 66 per cent agree that they are 'more likely to remember to use a voucher if I have a physical copy of it to carry around'.

The report also reveals that Fledglingsdo not receive much mail, including advertising mail. Consumers aged 18-24 (which make up 52 per cent of the Fledglingsgroup) receive less mail than any other age group. Many advertisers assume consumers in this group neither want advertising mail nor are likely to respond to it.However, the new analysis reveals that advertisers who use mail which recognises and responds to the specific needs of Fledglings have a significant opportunity to stand out.

Commenting on the Lifestages of Mail report, Jonathan Harman, Managing Director of Royal Mail MarketReach said: 'Our latest report shows that consumers in all life stages read, engage with, share and respond to mail. Even in this digital age, every group finds mail to be relevant to their lives.'

'What we think is going to surprise readers is that young people, living at home, are some of the most engaged and interested recipients of mail. Brands that overlook this aspirational group, and the power of mail to connect with them, are missing out. To succeed with young consumers, brands should create mail clearly targeted at them, make it clear what young people should do next and make it worth keeping hold of and using.'

The new findings about young people's attitudes towards mail are part of a wealth of insights from MarketReach's The Life Stages Of Mail report. The report identifies the unique characteristics of each life stage as well as the commonalities.

The research reveals that every life stage responds to mail in a different way because of varied preferences and needs. Young Families, for instance,are huge responders to mail. They are 24 per cent more likely to go online to make an enquiry or request more information online as a result of receiving mail. They are particularly big users of mobile technology and are 92 per cent more likely to have used a mobile phone or tablet to respond to mail. For the Older Families life stage, the report reveals that 52 per cent have used a voucher which came through the post in the last year.

The seven life stages of mail identified in the new Life Stages of Mail report are:

1. Fledglings, young adults still living with their parents

2. Sharers, or adults living in shared accommodation, with people who may not be their partners

3. Couples, or adults living together with neither children nor other adults. They may be of many different ages and different relationship stages

4. Young Families, with one or more children of whom the oldest is in primary school

5. Older Families, where at least one child is in secondary school or further education

6. Empty Nesters, those which no longer have children living at home, but one or both partners may be economically active

7. Older Retirees; singles or couples where neither partner has an income other than from pensions or investments

For further information, contact:

Claire Burgess, Royal Mail

T: 07753 461658

Claire.burgess@royalmail.com

About Royal Mail plc
Royal Mail plc is the parent company of Royal Mail Group Limited, the leading provider of postal and delivery services in the UK and the UK's designated universal postal service provider. UK Parcels, International and Letters ('UKPIL') comprises the company's UK and international parcels and letters delivery businesses operating under the 'Royal Mail' and 'Parcelforce Worldwide' brands. Through the Royal Mail Core Network, the company delivers a one-price-goes-anywhere service on a range of parcels and letters products. Royal Mail has the capability to deliver to more than 29 million addresses in the UK, six days a week (excluding UK public holidays). Parcelforce Worldwide operates a separate UK network which collects and delivers express parcels. Royal Mail also owns General Logistics Systems (GLS) which operates one of the largest ground-based, deferred parcel delivery networks in Europe.