Mail in the mix

Context

As competing messages jostle for consumer attention – and consumer attention fragments across channels and touchpoints – JICMAIL data reveals the value of leveraging mail in key channel combinations.

Mail is a powerful and effective channel and our research shows it prompts real-world and digital interactions.

Our Q1 2026 data release showed 56% of all purchases driven by mail were completed online – a new record since tracking began. This trend reveals the increasingly hybrid role mail plays in driving completion in store or via other channels and within digital customer journeys.

The latest release also reveals that mail continues to combine high levels of physical engagement with increasingly powerful digital outcomes. 9.4% of mail items prompted a website visit – a record for the first quarter of the year.

And this growth in digital response extends beyond website visits. JICMAIL data reveals account look-ups, web searches and app downloads prompted by mail all increased year on year, reinforcing mail’s role as a driver of measurable, performance-led outcomes.

Given the growing effectiveness trends evident in our data, we suspected mail was acting as a super touchpoint. 

Evolving the super touchpoint approach

In collaboration with industry experts, we identified that high-performing campaigns are made up of a web of interdependent touchpoints that work across the full consumer journey. Super touchpoints trigger rich consumer interactions and lead to disproportionately effective outcomes. 

They are key moments in the customer journey and are synchronised to ignite multiplier effects at other touchpoints – delivering both strong short-term response and long-term impacts. For example, a customer receives a perfectly timed reminder in the post or by email, just as they are in the mood to make a purchase.

Super touchpoints deliver full-funnel effectiveness by combining:

• smart audience insights,
• evidenced targeting data,
• high levels of attention and trust,
• deep emotional resonance, and
• robust measurement.

As a result, super touchpoint channels outperform campaign averages for business effectiveness by 25%, as explained in The Value of Super Touchpoint Planning.

Different touchpoint strengths generate different effects

Super touchpoints hit a sweet spot of effectiveness. They are emotionally engaging, well targeted and synchronised communications that are insight driven, measurable and deliver full-funnel impact.

Best-practice measurement is a universal driver of effectiveness, but different super touchpoint strengths generate different effects. For example, campaigns leveraging trust deliver 3x brand effects and 36% more business effects.

Mail’s super touchpoint index is high

Mail has the highest super touchpoint index of any channel (alongside owned and ‘traditional media’).

Campaigns that include the following channels are likely to have super touchpoint strengths, and mail – with its strength across the full journey for both acquisition and retention – emerges as the top super touchpoint channel.

It’s also interesting to note the market under-invests versus super touchpoint strengths, while overinvesting in channels such as digital and display.

Combining super touchpoints unlocks effectiveness

Our data shows untapped effectiveness can be harvested from certain combinations of super touchpoints, including mail.

Our research has identified a sweet spot of the top-performing touchpoint combinations – delivering both strong short-term response and long-term business effects.

For example, mail and social – powered by intelligent AI – can combine physical and digital touchpoints for personalisation at scale. Other opportunities include driving geo targeted in-home engagement through addressable TV and mail.

Adjusting spend towards higher-attention, higher-trust environments – supported by best-practice measurement – will unlock untapped effectiveness.