Political parties and supermarkets boost Q2 mail engagement

Political campaigning around May’s local elections helped drive increased mail volumes in the second quarter of 2026, while supermarkets also stepped up their use of the channel, according to the latest data from JICMAIL.

Political party direct mail volumes recorded by JICMAIL’s panel of 1,100 UK households increased sixfold year-on-year during Q2, while door drop volumes were three times higher.

Reform accounted for 27% of political mail volumes among the top ten parties measured during the local elections, but generated 29% of the time spent with those parties’ mailings.

Outside politics, supermarkets increased both direct mail and door drop volumes during the quarter. JICMAIL found that the proportion of all mail prompting a purchase rose from 5% in Q2 2025 to 6% in Q2 2026.

Mail also generated more activity in physical stores. Some 41% of mail-driven purchases were transacted in-store during Q2, compared with 34% a year earlier, with supermarkets contributing to the increase.

Digital engagement remained another significant outcome. Some 9.5% of all mail items prompted a website visit, up from 9.2% in Q2 2025. JICMAIL said QR codes were driving website visits across direct mail, door drops and business mail. Door drops containing a QR code were 87% more likely than the average mail item to prompt a website visit, while direct mail containing a QR code was 60% more likely.

JICMAIL has also integrated postcode sector mail planning data with Adwanted UK’s Geo-Targeting App, enabling users to view mail engagement and effectiveness metrics at a local level alongside outdoor, audio, publishing and local website planning data.

Ian Gibbs, director of Data Leadership and Learning at JICMAIL, said: “While the periodic boosts to mail activity from the political sector are welcome, what’s really encouraging to see is that Supermarkets – one of the largest sectors and drivers of UK economic growth – are showing strong confidence in the channel. They are being rewarded with high mail engagement and attention which they are effectively converting into both in-store footfall and near-record levels of digital traffic.”

JICMAIL’s Q2 figures also showed direct mail averaging 4.4 interactions and 151 seconds of attention over a 28-day period, while door drops averaged 3.1 interactions and 70 seconds.