As everyone is still navigating the complexities of inflation hot on the heels of rising mortgage rates and home prices, the question still weighs heavy on minds: When will things truly turn around and ease up? We recently gathered data from over 200 home improvement business owners to better understand their concerns, like rising costs, customer retention, and growth. After reviewing the results, one thing has stayed constant: advertising is imperative to success. So, we flipped the script to ask over 1,000 homeowners about their spending on home services and what motivates them to open their ..read more

Reading time: 5 minutes Since 2001, Valpak has published a comprehensive survey on direct mail trends and response rates as well as engagement with our direct mail products (The Blue Envelope and business postcards). Click here to jump straight to the infographic. Direct Mail Survey Methodology During April – May 2024, Valpak surveyed consumers residing in Valpak-mailed ZIP codes, utilizing the PureSpectrum® Sample Management Platform. Quotas were implemented to ensure a mix of ages, gender, ethnicity and geography. 2,027 surveys were completed for a ±2.06% margin of error at the 95% confidenc ..read more

2024 U.S. consumer entertainment survey results Valpak collected survey data from over 1700 U.S. adults to gain insight into which forms of entertainment they’re most interested in and how much they’re willing to spend. With high inflation and economic uncertainty stubbornly weighing on minds and wallets, one thing still holds from last year’s results: For the fun-seekers to continue seeking fun, there must be a great customer experience and equally great deals and discounts! From hosting a birthday party to major attractions to festivals and sporting events, entertainment remains dominant on ..read more

What does Cinco de Mayo celebrate? Cinco de Mayo, a very popular and well-known Mexican holiday often universally celebrated by many with excellent Mexican-themed food and drinks at restaurants, events, parties, in the mail, online, on billboards, and more—however, it often gets improperly interpreted as merely a celebration of beautiful heritage / Mexico’s Independence Day (which is 9/16). Cinco de Mayo (fifth of May) actually commemorates the Mexican victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. According to history, Mexican President Benito Juarez paused all foreign debt p ..read more

A perfect example of great fortune is the privilege of growing up with the best Mom in the world. To capitalize on this luck in life even further, create a Mother’s Day marketing campaign that will draw like-minded customers happy to spend a few or more dollars to celebrate one of their pillars in life—MOM! Last year, 84% of consumers spent a motherload of $37.7 billion on Mother’s Day. Yes, it’s clear that there is a lot of reverence and love out there for moms. However, breaking into and grabbing a portion of the memorable holiday spending requires creativity and strategic planning. May 12 i ..read more

It’s no mystery that rising mortgage rates and home prices, combined with wavering supply chain issues, labor, etc., all directly affect home service businesses. And while things are beginning to turn around, one thing is sure: advertising is paramount to success. Valpak surveyed over 200 home & garden (H&G) business owners to better understand their concerns (like rising costs 60%) and priorities (like customer retention and growth 40%), and more. Key findings: Almost half of H&G businesses get the bulk of their jobs via advertising 69% budget between $10,000 and $75,000 for adve ..read more

Large brands and small businesses alike agree that even in a digital-first, e-commerce environment, there’s no substitute for meeting customers face-to-face in a retail space. In-store retail events are popular because they pique customer interest and strengthen customer relationships. But what can you do to make sure you put on a successful event? Here are 7 tips to get it right the first time. 1. Choose a Theme Your in-store event should have a central theme or purpose. This could be anything from a VIP in-store experience for loyalty program customers to a new product launch party to a pop ..read more

Valpak surveyed over 1,600 U.S. adults to understand their spending inspirations and worries heading into the new year. Unsurprisingly, New Year’s resolutions around maintaining a healthy lifestyle with physical health goals (weight loss and fitness)—similar to last year—featured prominently in survey results. An emphasis on healthy living, physical activity, healthy habits, overall self-care, and well-being seem to be once again top of mind after another triple-threat period of flu, RSV and COVID impacting American lives. As lingering inflation continues to set budget limitations, consumers r ..read more

Lawn Care Company Targets Homeowners with Direct Mail Marketing Campaign to Get New Customers Case Study Objective To measure the effectiveness of Valpak’s lawn care postcard mailings in reaching potential customers for a business owner already seeing success in the Blue Envelope shared mailer. Lawn Care Marketing Strategy Distribution Blue Envelope: Mails full market (500 million+ homes) in spring months and select zones (10,000 homes per zone) in fall months Postcards: Added PlusOne postcard mailers in select zones to measure performance versus and with the envelope mail pieces Targeting L ..read more

Reading time: 6 minutes Mark your calendars — Small Business Saturday® is November 25th this year, and you don’t want to miss out on the local holiday shopping. What started as an effort by American Express to drive more sales to small businesses during the holiday season has grown into a national event that celebrates and supports local businesses (shop local!) in neighborhoods across the country. Last year, $17.9 billion was spent shopping or dining at local, independently-owned businesses on Small Business Saturday.1 More so, an average of two-thirds of every dollar spent on small businesse ..read more