What's the point of advertising through the post

[curlyellen]

I bought 1 thing in the Boden sale a few months ago, cost about £25, and the first thing I've bought from them for about 10 years. Since then I've had lots of catalogues and card adverts in the post from them, around 8-10 I'd guess. I've also received a few catalogues from other companies I've never bought from, such as Nobody's Child and Me+Em, which made me think Boden may have sold on my details. I had a similar experience ordering 1 thing from Freemans a couple of years ago and am still getting stuff through the post from them.

I'm gradually contacting these companies to take me off their mailing lists, and being more careful about ticking the boxes now for no postal contact or marketing from other companies, but it's just made me think about the cost of sending all this stuff in the post.

Even with the cheapest bulk postal and printing costs, Boden must have spent at least £5 sending me advertising, but made a bit back by selling my details on. Don't most people just put all that junk mail straight in the bin, so how can it be cost effective? Tbh it puts me off ordering anything else because it seems so wasteful, and I get emails, targeted ads on Facebook, etc if I need to know when their sale is on or when they have new collections. It seems outdated to send advertising by mail - back to the old days of paper catalogues.

I just wondered if anyone works in a mail order industry and knows whether this method of marketing actually works? Maybe I'm unusual and most people read those catalogues carefully and order more stuff?

Joe Browns do this all the time and they send small catalogue type stuff. It’s such a waste of money and I don’t buy anything there full price, only ever in the sale, which is online. I really must find a contact number to stop it.

They will have done their research and know that on balance, it makes them money.

Straight into the recycling box here. All of those companies, I buy stuff online and don’t need a catalogue. It’s better using the website because you can see what’s actually in stock or if they’ve sold out if your size etc.

It actually puts me off buying stuff from certain brands as in the past they've sent me masses of unwanted marketing materials and it's taken ages to get them to stop.

Some of these firms still think it's 1983.

If it didn't work, they wouldn't do it.

Joe Browns is another one. No idea where they got my address, I've never bought anything from them, but I get regular catalogues which go straight in recycling.

I suppose it's fair enough to say they wouldn't do it if it didn't work, but I'm wondering who on earth it works with. Are there people who always read the advertising that's posted to them, and often decide to spend some money based on that?

If I want to shop, I either go to actual shops or browse my favourite shops online, or I might google for 'green maxi dress' or whatever I've decided I want, or I might see one of my friends has a nice top and have a look at that shop. I don't even flick through the junk mail.

Boden are v naughty on their website, and the ‘opt out’ for postal advertising and sharing of your details with other companies is hidden. You have to click on something for it to appear.

I had a similar experience of getting a sudden influx of postal catalogues etc.

At one point I was getting 3-4 a day (!). Same brands - Me+Em, ThisWorks etc.

What I object to most is the environmental impact.

I wonder about this when I’m binning yet another Charles Tyrwhitt (sp?) catalogue. I bought by ex husband one shirt from there in around 2008. I emailed them about three years ago telling them to stop, to no avail.

I receive Boden and Cotton Traders catalogues too, despite not being a recent customer. The Sunday Times Wine Club is another.

I suppose it's fair enough to say they wouldn't do it if it didn't work, but I'm wondering who on earth it works with. Are there people who always read the advertising that's posted to them, and often decide to spend some money based on that?

Yes - definitely.

When I worked in clothing retail, we often had people coming in with their catalogues - they'd mark the pages/items they wanted and look specifically for them. Or people would ring and say "I've seen such and such in your catalogue, do you have one in a 12 you could pop aside for me to try on?".

It was very common, especially during sales or when the new seasons launched.

Most of mine have stopped over the years but I still get Joe Browns and Moshulu, and the Lakeland catalogue. None of them have ever appeared on my social media feeds, although I have ordered from them in the past. I flick through them, it might prompt me to order something and then when I'm online I might buy something else. I doubt it costs them anywhere near £5 a copy to mail out so it won't take many people to order something to make it worthwhile. There are also plenty of people who don't use SM and get adverts that way, or are distrustful of any advertising on FB or whatever.

I don’t understand it because by the time I look online for something I’ve seen in a catalogue, it’s out of stock!

Baker Ross are so bad for this

I doubt it costs them anywhere near £5 a copy to mail out so it won't take many people to order something to make it worthwhile

I meant that Boden have probably spent at least that much on the 8-10 mailings they've sent me since I bought my £25 item a few months ago.

My parents used to sit down and go through these things until they were given a good talking to about buying stuff they didn't need . So people do read them , mostly bored folk .