email vs. direct mail

ok, so i was recently challenged by the boss - why do direct mail when we have email addresses for so many of our customers? Good question! I mean, what the heck, why not test it. So I took a list of customers with email addresses, split it in two, and then sent 1/2 a renewal notice by regular mail and 1/2 just got an email.

The good news is that ... I was right. Emailing only without a mailing reduced the renewal rate by 65%!!! Since I had already tested the impact of email plus direct mail, I knew that together they rocked. But looks like for now, the postman keeps his job.