Any chance you'll have 18 spare minutes tonight? In fact, we're quite sure you'll be checking your letterbox - you and millions of other Belgians - to retrieve the weekly leaflets and you'll spend about 18 minutes in total leafing through them. This conclusion – and many more – is drawn in the new impact study by van market research office GfK on the impact of promotional leaflets and other types of activating media.
Every day, consumers are activated by a wide range of online and offline activation media. The new GfK study, commissioned by BD myShopi, reports how leaflets keep their pole position when it comes to the likeability of promotional media amidst a highly innovating market. Whereas digital leaflets continue their way to the top, the Belgian consumer clearly very much in loves with his letterbox.
Leaflets are relevant
Door-to-door leaflets not only profit from a huge reach, but also obtain high scores when it comes to reading percentages. No less than 85% reads paper leaflets almost weekly and 1 out of 3 readers of digital leaflets does so every week. Since the leaflets are read on average by 2 people per household, their reach is actually even bigger. Moreover, advertisers can count on a profound reading of their leaflets, since the Belgian consumer passes on average 18 minutes to check them out.
Leaflets lead to activation
Leaflets are powerful activators. Of all interviewees who claim to make shopping lists, 49% states they (almost) always use leaflets to do so. Also, 60% is activated by leaflets to visit a specific shop and 59% is effectively convinced to by buying certain products that feature in leaflets. Advertisers should also take into account the region in which to promote their products through leaflets, according to the industry they belong to: consumers travel no further than 5 kilometer to go shopping for food opposed to a maximum distance of 20 kilometers when shopping for kitchen or bathroom furniture.
Paper and digital are allies
It’s no secret that E-shops can also reach numerous potential clients through door-to-door distribution. No less than 65% of the Belgian population without anti-publicity stickers would love to receive paper E-shop leaflets at least once a month. Knowing that 60% of the interviewees reads paper as well ass digital leaflets to check out products and prices, E-shops better have them both. Throughout the study, results show the complementarity of both channels and how they’re not competitors but rather behave as allies.
The impact of samples and coupons
Belgian consumers are not only fond of leaflets. They also love how samples and coupons are distributed by door-to-door, and they submit to their activating skills. The study shows how 3 out of 4 Belgians are more likely to buy a product after having it tested through sampling. Also, those who use coupons and cashbacks claim they use them to pay less for products they are already familiar with (90%) or to try new stuff (56%).