JICMAIL has reported continued growth in mail-driven digital engagement in the first quarter of 2026, with website visits, account look-ups, web searches and app downloads all increasing year on year.

According to the Joint Industry Currency for Mail, 9.4% of mail items prompted a website visit in Q1 2026, setting a new first-quarter record. The figure compares with 8.7% in Q1 2025.

The organisation also reported that 56% of purchases driven by mail were fulfilled online during the quarter, up from 53% in the same period last year and the highest level recorded since tracking began.

JICMAIL said the figures underline mail’s role as a “Super Touchpoint” channel, combining physical engagement with measurable digital outcomes across direct mail, door drops, business mail and partially addressed mail.

The Q1 2026 data shows direct mail generated 4.5 interactions, reached 1.14 people per item, stayed in the home for 7.8 days and received 141 seconds of attention. Door drops generated 3.0 interactions, reached 1.06 people, had a lifespan of 5.6 days and received 57 seconds of attention. Business mail recorded 4.8 interactions, 1.16 people reached, a 9.1-day lifespan and 182 seconds of attention, while partially addressed mail generated 4.1 interactions, reached 1.09 people, lasted 6.7 days and received 94 seconds of attention.

Alongside the quarterly results, JICMAIL has released its full-year 2025 Response Rate Tracker dataset, now covering nearly 5000 campaigns. The dataset includes anonymous campaign performance data submitted by fifteen industry organisations and provides benchmarks for response, ROI, cost per acquisition and average order value across cold and warm direct mail, door drops and, for the first time, partially addressed mail.

Early findings show warm retail direct mail response rates increased by 26% year on year, while cold retail direct mail response rates rose by 21%. ROI ranged from £2.00 for partially addressed mail to £11.50 for warm direct mail.

Ian Gibbs, director of Data Leadership and Learning at JICMAIL, said: “The Q1 2026 data highlights the continued evolution of mail as a Super Touchpoint channel that seamlessly bridges physical and digital. At the same time, the release of our full year 2025 Response Rate Tracker provides the industry with an unrivalled view of campaign-level effectiveness, enabling better planning, benchmarking and optimisation.”