Direct mail 'better than internet or phone'

Companies may be better off contacting potential customers via direct mail than the internet or telephone, according to new research.

A study carried out by Amarach on behalf of the Irish postal service An Post, claimed the majority of people read their post as soon as they receive it.

Although around 70% of people felt most of the direct mail they receive is irrelevant, nearly half said that they enjoy reading their post and 70% said they preferred companies to use the postal service.

The positive response for direct mail is surprising given that in the same research, nearly two-thirds of the people surveyed said they felt negatively towards direct mail.

Furthermore, 80% of the 1,000 people who were surveyed for the report said they felt the amount of direct mail sent out should be limited because of the impact on the environment.