Studies

Door drops are valued. If it were not, no one would use it, because it costs money. That is why industry regularly commissions studies. The aim is to measure the value of this mail for consumers, trade, industry and not-for-profit organisations. Furthermore, they examine the use of resources and the environmental footprint. You can find the results of studies from the past two years here.

Symbolfoto: Ein Mann steht an einer Verkaufstheke und wird von einer Frau bedient.

Studies prove the value of door drops

Key findings on door drops in Germany

Consumers

90% of the population read printed brochures at least occasionally.1

33.3% of the population surveyed particularly appreciate door drops because of the special offers.2

75% consider the “no advertising” stickers sufficient to avoid receiving unsolicited commercial mail.2

84% of the population read door drops at least occasionally, 58% once or several times a week.3

The 50+ generation (37.41 million people in Germany) are particularly fond of reading printed advertising. 30% frequently, 15% always to very frequently.2

 

  1. IFH Media Analytics in cooperation with Media Central: For the study “It’s a match” published in 2022, 3,000 people were surveyed on a representative basis and 13 different channels were examined across five sectors.
  2. Civey: Survey of 5,000 people in Germany, consumers and advertisers in August 2021.
  3. IfD Allensbach: Survey of 1,514 people representative of the population in August and September 2021.

Advertisers

Leaflets are the most used information channel about products and prices.1

50% particularly appreciate the regional controllability and the easy accessibility of interested parties.2

59% of the total population base their shopping somewhat or very much on offers they have previously seen in leaflets.3

96% of people with a great interest in shopping tips orient themselves to printed flyers and leaflets.3

55% of the population use leaflets to plan their shopping.1

80% of the population perceive offers on the basis of printed leaflets.1

70% of surveyed marketing managers consider the leaflet indispensable.4

 

  1. IFH Media Analytics in cooperation with Media Central: For the study “It’s a match” published in 2022, 3,000 people were surveyed on a representative basis and 13 different channels were examined across five sectors.
  2. Civey: Survey of 5,000 people in Germany, consumers and advertisers in August 2021.
  3. IfD Allensbach: Survey of 1,514 people representative of the population in August and September 2021.
  4. EHI study Marketingmonitor Retail 2021–2024: Survey of 55 CMOs of leading retail companies.

Civil law organisations

25% of advertisers use door drops for charity purposes – for example in the areas of education, sport, religion, politics and culture.1

55% of readers of free mailbox post are happy to receive event information, 32% about local initiatives and events.2

 

  1. Civey: Survey of 5,000 people in Germany, consumers and advertisers in August 2021
  2. IfD Allensbach: Survey of 1,514 people representative of the population in August and September 2021

Digital advertising channels

85% of those surveyed think digital formats (e.g. on the smartphone) are not an alternative to the paper leaflets.2

57% of bargain hunters find the tips in printed flyers and leaflets in the letterbox, only 13% in apps.3

50% of the 30+ generation want shopping tips in printed leaflets, only 8% via apps or digital brochures.3

43% of information seekers are supported by print when making purchasing decisions in the supermarket, compared to only 21% online.1

72% of respondents say that digital advertising could not replace printed direct mail for them.2

On average, a simple e-mail without an attachment causes 10 grams of CO2 – the equivalent of a plastic bag. Attachments increase the value significantly. For the year 2021, the technology market research company The Radicati Group estimates that around 319 billion emails will be sent and received every day.4

  1. IFH Media Analytics in cooperation with Media Central: For the study “It’s a match” published in 2022, 3,000 people were surveyed in a population-representative manner and 13 different channels were examined across five industries.
  2. Civey: Survey of 5,000 people in Germany, consumers and advertisers in August 2021.
  3. IfD Allensbach: Survey of 1,514 people representative of the population in August and September 2021.
  4. Consumer Service Bavaria.

All printed matters produced in this country contribute less than 1% of the CO2 footprint in Germany. Unaddressed advertising mail accounts for 0.05%.1

Paper production and the printing of door drops require 44 KWh per household per year, which corresponds to around 4.5 litres of heating oil.2

Advertising leaflets are mostly printed on recycled paper. No forests are cleared for this. Healthy trees go into house and furniture production. For high-quality paper made from virgin fibres, mainly thinning wood and sawmill waste are used.3

The recovered paper cycle in Germany is world class, especially because waste separation works very well. In print production, care is already taken when using materials (e.g. paper, cardboard, inks, varnishes, adhesives) so that these do not hinder the recycling process or are recyclable themselves.4

Paper fibres can be reused up to ten times, providing a good raw material for new recycled paper until it finally becomes sanitary paper.5

During paper production, the water is recycled, i.e. 90% recycled and finally returned clean to nature.6

Forests in Europe are not shrinking. Since more forests are being reforested than are being cut down, they are constantly growing—by 1,500 football pitches every day.7

No rainforest is cut down for printed products. The European Timber Regulation (EUTR) strictly supervises the import of timber into Europe. This means that illegally logged timber and timber products cannot be marketed in the EU. All traders selling timber or timber products, including paper, in the EU for the first time must comply with the due diligence requirements of the EUTR.8

The WWF recommends looking for the FSC seal, for example, when buying wood and paper products.9

  1. Source/calculation: bvdm
  2. Source/calculation: vdp/bvdm environmental indicators offset printing
  3. Source: The Paper Industry
  4. Source: AGRAPA
  5. Source: bifa study
  6. Source: Arbeitsgemeinschaft Graphische Papiere (AGRAPA), Bifa study „Sustainable paper cycle – a factual basis”, Die Papierindustrie e. V.
  7. Source: Eurostat
  8. Source: Die Papierindustrie e. V., Bifa study „Sustainable paper cycle – a factual basis”.
  9. Source: WWF

Social value

Non-profit actors such as churches, associations or educational institutions rely on information and advertising mail. This is because they often lack the financial resources to draw attention to themselves and their initiatives by digital means.2

Even today, city centres are becoming deserted, shops are closing and service providers are giving up. Depriving them of their only form of direct customer contact accelerates this process.1

People who are unable or unwilling to get information online via apps, newsletters or websites are left behind when it comes to information and promotions.3

All companies and organisations that do not have databases with personal address data, are not allowed to work with them for data protection reasons, and/or cannot afford the postage would suffer from a restriction of advertising and door drops.2

 

  1. IFH Media Analytics in cooperation with Media Central: For the study “It’s a match” published in 2022, 3,000 people were surveyed in a population-representative manner and 13 different channels were examined across five industries.
  2. Civey: Survey of 5,000 people in Germany, consumers and advertisers in August 2021.
  3. IfD Allensbach: Survey of 1,514 people representative of the population in August and September 2021.

Labour market

In total, several thousand mainly small and medium-sized enterprises with around half a million employees are involved in the economic process of door drops.

  • Printing industry: approx. 7,100 companies with around 115,000 employees
  • Advertising industry, media planners and designers: approx. 160,000 employees
  • Paper production: approx. 40,000 jobs
  • Ink production: approx. 25,000 employees
  • Advertising leaflet delivery: approx. 200,000 employees*.
  • Direct distribution: more than 100,000 deliverers

 

* of which approx. 150,000 are marginally employed, of these approx. ¼ are pensioners.1

  1. Federal Employment Agency 2020; reporting population: companies with at least one employee subject to social security contributions; calculations: bvdm