What is programmatic mail? A smarter way to connect offline
Programmatic mail is rather clever, really. It takes the old school charm of physical post and gives it a digital brain. Rather than blasting out identical flyers to every man and their dog, it sends personalised postcards that are triggered by what people actually do online. You get relevance that hits the mark and timing that is spot on, creating engagement that actually sticks. Ecommerce brands have clocked onto this and are cutting through the digital noise by landing on doormats instead of just clogging up inboxes.
Why programmatic mail deserves your attention
Digital channels are packed to the rafters and emails are getting ignored constantly. Over recent years, brands have been throwing heaps of cash at email campaigns, crossing their fingers that if they send enough, maybe one or two in a thousand might actually convert a customer. Programmatic mail hands you a proper competitive edge. Triggered by real online behaviour, personalised postcards get sent automatically right to people’s doorsteps. These postcards can hang around in homes for up to 7 days rather than being one of those digital messages that get scrolled past in a heartbeat.
How it works (and why it matters)
Programmatic mail is straightforward when the right platform handles the heavy lifting. Toucan connects directly to your e-commerce systems and takes care of the rest.
Here’s how it flows:
• Step 1: A customer browses your site or leaves a basket
• Step 2: Toucan detects the trigger you’ve set (for example, lapsed user, returning visitor)
• Step 3: A personalised postcard is created using real product info and branding
• Step 4: It’s printed and delivered within 5 days while the interest is still fresh
Unlike manual campaigns, there is no need for data uploads or chasing design approvals. You choose the triggers and Toucan handles delivery, all visible from a clean, simple dashboard.
Does it really work? (Yes, and here is how)
The numbers tell a cracking story. Open rates for mail reach 80 to 90 percent, which absolutely dwarfs the 20 to 30 percent you get from email. Response rates sit at 4.4 percent overall, and they jump to over 7 percent for existing customers. When you combine mail with email, conversions get a boost of up to 40 percent. Brands using Toucan are seeing higher average order values and much better reactivation from lapsed users. Whether you are a retailer, D2C brand, or growing e-commerce store, programmatic mail gives you another proper chance to be seen and remembered. Click here to see how Toucan’s platform works
Summary
Programmatic mail brings relevance and timing back to direct mail and with Toucan, it is automated, scalable, and designed for modern brands. In a noisy digital world, print gives your message a place of its own and Toucan helps you put it there.
