Not all forms of marketing are created equal. That is particularly true when it comes to transpromo. While this type of on-statement messaging can be produced digitally or in print, surveys still show that people still want hard copies. Not only this, but they are more likely to review their statements when they arrive by mail rather than email. This means that any transpromo messaging is more likely to be noticed and read when the bill comes in hard copy.

An online survey (“Paper or Digital? Winter 2018-2019) for the nonprofit group Consumer Action, for example, found that, in the following verticals, people prefer to receive paper bills—and sometimes by a large margin:

• Medical bills: 74%
• Property taxes: 71%
• Motor vehicle renewals: 69%
• Insurance: 66%
• Utility bills: 63%
• Credit card statements: 61%
• Phone bills: 56%

For some people, paper billing feels more secure. For others, it’s as simple being afraid that the bill will be lost in their inbox. What if the bill comes in and they miss it? Or what if it accidentally gets marked as spam? It means missed payments, late fees, and even dings on their credit reports.

Paper is also preferred for bills for the same reason it is preferred for other types of reading. Even if consumers prefer to pay their bills online (Consumer Action found that 56% of consumers do), they find it is easier to sort, organize, and comprehend their bills when they come in paper.

All of this makes print the better choice for transpromo messaging. In fact, here’s another important piece of data from Consumer Action: Of those who get paper bills by mail, 78% review the transactions on that statement compared to only 43% of those who review them when they arrive by email. This means that if your clients are doing transpromo messaging, that messaging is more likely to be seen when it is produced in print.

Are your clients buying into the paperless billing trend? If so, they might want to think twice, especially if they are doing transpromo.