Brits have a wide variety of preferences to marketing formats, depending on their age and location, according to new research, which found that youngsters prefer to buy in-store rather than shop online.
The study, from Experian, found 15-24 year olds are highly receptive to direct mail, while the UK rural population prefer to engage face-to-face.
The results challenge existing thinking on consumer preferences and highlight the importance of avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach to marketing.
Young more receptive to direct mail than their parents
Although direct mail is more welcomed by those aged over 65, the Experian analysis reveals that the second most likely group to engage with this channel are those aged between 15 and 24.
Their parents, meanwhile, who are often comfortably off, living in the suburbs and commonly aged between 46 and 65 are less likely to respond well to direct mail.
The findings call for marketers and retailers to look beyond common misconceptions about channel preferences, and use detailed insight to establish how a brand should communicate with its audience.
Nigel Wilson, Managing Director, Marketing Information Services, Experian comments: “Mosaic TrueTouch insight allows us to analyse how consumers prefer to be engaged by brands, providing marketers with the information to make smarter marketing decisions. At first glance it might be surprising that in the age of digital interaction, young people are so receptive to a traditional channel like direct mail but, in reality, advances in marketing technologies have increased receptiveness towards this channel. For example, some brands now incorporate 2D discount barcodes into material that can be scanned by compatible mobile phones. The generation aged between 46 and 64 are less likely to benefit from these advances and, as a result of being over-targeted with direct mail in the past, are more indifferent to the channel.”
