Who Likes Grocery Mail? Men Do

(Promo) This might come as a surprise, but young people, especially men, like to read grocery store direct mail.

Some 90% of men ages 18-34 who look at direct mail read grocery store pieces, compared to 83% of women in that age group, according to the Customer Focus Retail Direct Mail survey from Vertis Communications.

The reason? There is a growing trend toward men and women sharing household duties, including grocery shopping, says Scott Marden, director, marketing research, Vertis Communications.

“Younger adults are some of the strongest readers of grocery ads,” he says. “You have a lot of individuals who are unmarried who have to do the grocery shopping themselves. People are using ads as a means to get the best deals.”

But as men age, their desire to pore over grocery store mail dwindles, while older women read increasingly more of it.

Eighty percent of men ages 35-49 and 79% of those age 50 and older read the pieces. In contrast, 88% of women ages 35-49 and 89% of those age 50 and older read grocery mail.

Value stores are popular. Some 67% of middle-aged men like to read mail from these retailers, compared with 87% of women.

Overall, wealthier consumers are more likely to respond to discounts offered via direct mail. High-income adults are just as likely to enter sweepstakes as low-income adults, with 26% of total adults planning to participate in a sweepstakes or contest in the coming year.

Coupons and buy-one-get-one-free messages are popular with 72%, followed by percent-off deals at 63% and discounts off a single item at 61%, the survey found. The least popular mail offers include sweepstakes, games or contests at 16% and event invitations at 22%.

What’s the best way to reach these readers? Target specific audiences with offers.

“Retailers interested in direct mail need to segment their audience and understand what type of direct mail formats offers make the most sense,” Marden says.