(Weymouth, MA) January 23, 2007 -- According to a study published recently by InfoTrends, consumers continue to have a high preference for direct mail over other forms of direct marketing. 61% of consumers surveyed stated a preference for direct mail, which is nearly triple the number that preferred receiving ads via e-mail. These findings can be attributed to the manageable and minimally intrusive nature of paper based communications. Within this category, highly personalized direct mail with messages and offers that were designed to reflect the consumer’s needs and interests were most favored. “In return for business, consumers expect a level of intimacy similar to that which we enjoyed when most business was personal. The goal is to utilize technology to generate information that is of interest to the recipient,” commented Charlie Corr, Group Director at InfoTrends. InfoTrends’ new study entitled, The Future of Mail 2006: Direct Mail, Transaction, and “Transpromotional” Documents, examines the future of direct mail and transaction documents in North America, and provides details on the U.S. and Canadian markets. The study focuses on customer-facing applications such as direct marketing, billing, and related issues such as customer support and fulfillment. It investigates consumer behavior and preferences and reviews print provider expectations and plans as well as the plans of those who generate these documents. The study also examines the adoption of “TransPromotional” documents, which are documents that combine marketing messages with transaction information. There was a high consumer preference for TransPromotional documents (63% preferred such a document), and the study forecasts full color digital TransPromotional pages growing at a 91% CAGR through 2010. “The market is poised to adopt TransPromotional documents, which meet the needs of end users as well as document generators, and to take advantage of technological advancements that enable this application,” commented Mr. Corr. “For adoption of TransPromo to increase, however, document owners must gain more awareness of the benefits, costs, and risks.” Other study highlights include: In 2005, the total North American transaction market consisted of 64.3 billion documents with a value of $120 billion. In 2005, 114 billion direct mail pieces (with a retail value of $61.1 billion) were sent in North America. Consumers have a high preference for highly personalized direct mail. There is a high level of trust in the postal services of the U.S. and Canada. Print providers who service these markets have strong investment intentions, especially regarding mailing equipment and digital color. Not everybody will flock to electronic bill presentment or electronic bill presentment and payment, as just under half of the respondents planned to pay bills online. Security concerns were the main reason consumers did not want to switch to on-line banking. PDA’s and cell phones are included in 24.8% of direct marketing programs. Research for the study consisted of surveys of 850 consumers over the age of 18 who pay bills, 456 document owners who are responsible for direct mail and transaction documents, and 397 print providers who focus on direct mail and transaction documents. The written report is 265 pages with 202 figures. The study contains 1,499 pages of cross tabulated data and 596 slides. The complete study is available immediately for purchase. For more information about the study or to make a purchase, contact Scott Phinney at +1 781 616 2100 ext. 123 or [email protected].