Stats and Facts... Is exactly what the name implies. It is a place to go when you are looking for statistics and facts on our industry and the technology that drives it.

In the coming months we will be adding new categories, new stats and facts. If you would like to contribute content, have ideas for new categories or any other suggestions to improve Stats and Facts please email Chad Henk, Membership Coordinator at chad@xplor.org

We are hoping "Stats and Facts" becomes a valuable resource for your research, presentations and general knowledge.

Disclaimer: Xplor International is accumulating and providing information for the benefit of our members and the industry in general. We do not warrant the accuracy of the information as all information is gathered from public domain.

Book Printing

• "Overall, we find that many publishers are taking a harder look at their supply chains and are increasingly turning to digital manufacturing for on-demand fulfillment of front list titles in addition to using it to extend the life of back list catalogs," said Davis. "We expect digital volume in the book market to grow at about 16% annually and more than double in output by 2011." David Davis, Director of INTERQUEST, (P0508)
   
• INTERQUEST expects the digital production of education books to grow at about 15% annually with numerous opportunities for color and personalization. The study also finds that the digital market for professional books is nearly as large as trade, but this sector, like photographic books, faces a number of challenges. (P0508)

Direct Mail/Mail

• Total direct mail spending declined 3% in 2008 accompanied by an even more significant cutback in mail volume. (Winterberry Group 06/09)
   
• INTEGRATED DIGITAL AND MAIL CAMPAIGNS LIFT PROFITS Integrating digital advertising with direct mail campaigns can increase customer spending by almost 25 pecent, according to research carried out by Royal Mail. Those who prefer to engage with both direct mail and online advertising spend on average GBP105 a month on goodsand services after receiving a combination of the two - GBP19 more than those who like online ads only and GBP34 more than those who would choose only direct mail. * Read more: http://www.marketingservicestalk.com/more/4264/ (Royal Mail, 15 Aug 2007) (P0508)
   
• According to the Direct Mail Information Service, 67% of direct mail is opened, and 45% is both opened and read. Email cannot begin to match those rates. (P0508)
   
• The Direct Mail Information Service also offers some other important statistics. Their research shows that the ROI (return on investment) of direct mail is excellent - to generate $14 in sales, one must only spend $1 on direct mail. Other statistics show that direct mail is even more effective for businesses. Managers open 70% of direct mail they receive. The pass 9% of it on to a subordinate or coworker, but respond to or file an amazing 20%! (P0508)
   
• Recent research by the U.S. Postal Service® reveals that recipients look forward to receiving and interacting with their mail, which makes the mail a memorable and valuable high-touch opportunity for businesses. The USPS® survey explored attitudes about mail in the workplace and the home. Key workplace findings include:
  • Mail reaches business professionals. Business mail doesn't get screened as aggressively as e-mail is filtered.
  • Businesspeople keep useful mail in a mail "library" - a file or drawer, or on a bulletin board.
  • Mail helps people make decisions. When it's time to make a purchase, find a supplier or attend a professional event or training, professionals may turn to their mail libraries.
  • Mail communicates and generates response. It can drive Web traffic or allow recipients to respond offline with a Business Reply Mail® card.
    
    On the consumer front, a survey revealed the following:
    
    
  • Consumers are eager to see what's in their mail. More than half the respondents said that receiving mail is a "real pleasure" and that they "look forward" to discovering what's in their mail: 98 percent bring their mail in on the day it's delivered and 77 percent sort it immediately.
  • Home mail is handled and sorted by the household decision maker. The person who handles the mail is typically the principal grocery shopper (84 percent), the person who pays the household bills (81 percent) and the one who determines what mail to keep and what to toss (90 percent).
  • People appreciate commercial messages that arrive in the mail. About 55 percent look forward to discovering what's in their mail, and 67 percent say mail is more personal than the Internet. They use it to learn about new products or services, to manage the household and to oversee their finances. (P0508)
     
• The credit card industry is the largest mail solicitor. Average house holds receive 80 credit card solicitations per year. 150 credit card companies offering rewards fueled an increase of 6 percent in mailed customer acquisition pieces-9.2 billion mail pieces in total (Mintel Comperemedia) (P0508)
   
• The USPS estimates that 42.7 billion pieces of mail were sent and received by U.S. households in 2005 (P0508)
  • Households received 151.6 billion pieces of mail and sent 21.7 billion
  • Only 4% of this mail was sent from household to household
  • Total transaction volume is essentially flat since 2003
  • Bills, statements, confirmations, requests for donations, bills for social/charitable organizations, and confirmations for social/charitable organizations totaled 30.29 billion in 2005
  • An average of 11.72 transaction documents are mailed per month per consumer, or 22.71 per month per household
     
• The total estimated cost for generating 64.3 billion B2C and B2B transaction documents was estimated at $120.25 billion in 2005 (P0508)
   
• Believe it or not: consumers are more responsive to junk mail. Snail mail beats out e-mail forertain communications, including business information (International Communications Research) (P0508)

Email / Bmail

• For the first time, email marketing has overtaken direct mail in terms of volume, according to the latest National Email Benchmarking reportfrom the DMA's Email Marketing Council. The report, containing data from leading UK Email Service Providers (ESPs) for the last quarter of2006, reveals that year on year volumes have increased by 52 per cent. Read more: http://www.marketingservicestalk.com/more/4263/ (P0508)
   
• Email is now ubiquitous with consumers and 94 percent of marketers using e-mail. Those who buy products marketed email buy 138 percent more than non-readers of email marketing. (Forrester Research "E-Mail Marketing Comes of Age") (P0508)
   
• According to Pew Internet and American Life Project data from March, 2007, 91% of US Internet users have gone online and sent or read email. The same source suggests that 56% do this as part of a typical day. (P0508)
   
• An October 2007 report by technology market research firm The Radicati Group estimates that there are 1.2 billion email users in 2007, expected to rise to 1.6 billion by 2011. An October 2006 report from the same source suggests that some 183 billion emails were sent each day in 2006 and that wireless email users will grow "from 14 million in 2006, to 228 million in 2010." (P0508)
   
• Ferris Research estimates the number of business email users in 20 around 780 million
   
• Text Drives More Email Click-Throughs Than Images A new report, "Email Marketing Content Best Practices: Identifying the Impact of Content on Response Behavior," based on a Jupiter Research/IPSOS survey of 1,166 consumer recipients on what prompted them to open and respond to email marketing messages revealed the following: (P0508)
  • 54%: Products or services featured
  • 40%: Written copy
  • 35%: Subject line
  • 33%: Compelling offers (e.g. discounts, free shipping)
  • 12%: A single large image
  • 9%: Multiple smaller images
  • 6%: Search box within the email
  • 3%: Recipients get text-only email

Internet

• 71 percent of 60 something and 52 percent of 70 some things used a search engine in he past week, compared to 77 percent of 18-34 year olds. (TNS Compete 06/09)
   
• 63% of consumers and small business owners turn to the internet for information about local companies and 82% use search engines to do so. (Webvisible and Nielson 06/09)
   
• Only 44 percent of small businesses have a website. (Webvisible and Nielson 06/09)
   
• The Digital Future Project is conducted by the Center for the Digital Future and has identified several trends in internet use by children and the opinions adults have on the subject.
  • The average number of hours children spend on the internet is 15.3 hours per week
  • There has been an increase in the number of adults who said that the grades of the children in their house has dropped since the use of the internet
  • 63% of the adults are uncomfortable with the children in their household taking part in online communities
  • 53% of adults say online predators are a threat to children in their households
  • 16% of internet users say they go online to find or check a fact at least daily while 7% go online daily and more often to check the definition of a word
  • 47% of users say they go online, logon and go immediately to their email accounts. Membership in online communities has more than doubled in the last three years. 54% of online community members log into the community at least one a day and 71% said their community is very important or extremely important to them

• There are now 3.25 billion mobile phone subscriptions worldwide - haft the worlds population. It took over 20 years to connect the first billion subscribers, but only 40 months to connect the Second billion. (The Mobile World)
• 80% of 60-somethings used a cell phone in the past week, nearly equal to usage of 18-34 year olds. (TNS Compete 06/09)

Newspapers

• A new study found that 81 percent of newspaper website users also read the Printed newspaper. (Newspaper National Network LP conducted by Scarborough Research)

Personalization

• "Personalized photo books, cards and calendars are a $816 million dollar business that is expected to double during the next 4 years. (Nader Anvari, Director, New Market Development for Elcectrophotographic Printing Solutions, Kodak)

Social Network

• 7% of adults 65 and older have an online profile on a social network. (AARP 06/09)
   
• Membership in online communities has more than doubled in the last three years. 54% of online community members log into the community at least one a day and 71% said their community is very important or extremely important to them. (The Digital Future Project is conducted by the Center for the Digital Future 06/09)

Transpromo

• According to new research conducted by DSI CMM, over half a billion pounds worth of advertising space on bills and statements lies unused in the UK. * Read more: http://www.printingtalk.com/more/4199/