The Numbers Don't Lie: Yes, Personalization Works

Here's something marketers instinctively know but customers keep confirming: Personalized communications get more attention than generic ones. Whether you're sending bills, statements, promotional offers, or marketing campaigns, personalization consistently drives engagement. Survey data proves it yet again.

What Customers Say About Transactional Mail

The data come from a Keypoint Intelligence survey on transactional communications—think bills, statements, and account updates. When consumers were asked how to make those documents more effective, three options came out on top: "Make them easier to understand" (43%), "make them relevant to me" (34%), and "personalize the content for me" (28%).

Translation: Customers want communications tailored to their needs, not one-size-fits-all form letters.

Here's where personalization really shows its power. Nearly half of survey respondents (49%) said they spend significantly more time reading personalized, relevant direct mail than generic mailings.

Younger consumers showed even stronger preferences. More than half (51%) of those aged 18-34 reported spending much more time with personalized mail compared to 45% of those 55 and older. Interestingly, the lower percentage among older consumers doesn't mean they ignore personalization. It reflects that this generation engages strongly with all direct mail, whether personalized or not.

Digital Shows the Same Pattern

Consumers’ preference for personalization extends beyond print. In digital communications, 51% of respondents agreed that personalization made them spend more time engaging with content. Among younger consumers (18-34), that number jumped to 57%.

What This Means for Your Business

The pattern is clear: Personalization matters. When you tailor communications to individual recipients (whether through personalized (data-driven) printing, customized messaging, or relevant content selection), you're not just being courteous. You're dramatically increasing the likelihood that your message gets read, remembered, and acted upon.

If you're still sending one-size-fits-all communications, you're leaving engagement on the table. The good news? Personalization technology has never been more accessible or affordable.

Ready to make your communications work harder? Let's talk about how personalization can transform your customer engagement.