What response rates can you expect from Direct Mail?

Warm Direct Mail – mailings to your active customer file: In our experience, warm direct mail, i.e. DM sent to your customer file should deliver a response rate of between 1% and 5%. The average figure is around 3.5%.

Cold Direct Mail – DM send to prospects via a “cold” list: Response rates here are lower as the consumers you are mailing are less familiar with you and your brand. Typically 0.5% to 1.5%.

The DMA in the UK cites a response rate of 4% and claims that overall 7% of recipients will take some kind of action as a result of receiving direct mail.

The DMA in the US has produced a lot of information in its 2015 Response Rate Report and cites response rates of 3.7% for a house list and 1% for a cold prospect list.