More than twice as many UK consumers say traditional direct marketing is more likely than digital marketing to encourage them to go to a website and seriously consider a purchase from a company for the first time, a new poll from messaging specialist Pitney Bowes reveals.
The survey reveals that 60% of the respondents believe offline marketing, in the form of addressed mail or direct response advertising, is most likely to get them to visit the website of a company they have not bought from before with the intention of buying a product or service. Only 24% of the consumers surveyed said that a marketing message delivered through digital media such as email, a sponsored web link, or an ad on a social networking website would drive them to a company site with a first-time purchase in mind....

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see also: http://www.postinsight.com/files/PB_webtrafficsurvey_release_070709.pdf

Direct marketing was more effective at driving serious consumer traffic than digital activity across all age groups, with UK consumers aged 25-34 (67%)most likely to visit and consider buying from a website for the first time after being directed there by an offline message. The next most likely age group was 35-44 at 64%, followed by 45-54 at 60% and the 18-24 and 55+ age groups both at 56%.