Connecting Then and Now: The Journey from Postal to Digital Marketing
In 1905, Sears mailed over 3 million catalogs to U.S. households and built one of the most iconic retail brands of the century.
Sears, Roebuck & Co. employed around 9,000 people and achieved nearly $40 million in their annual sales for 1905 through their mail-order catalog.
The Developments in the 1990's
The advancements made collectively marked the 1990's as a transformative era for email marketing, laying the foundation for the sophisticated strategies employed today.
Introduction of HTML (1991): The advent of HTML allowed for the creation of visually engaging emails, moving beyond plain text to include images, links, and formatted layouts.
Emergence of Webmail Clients (1993–1996):The rise of web-based email services made email more accessible to the general public, expanding the potential audience for email marketing campaigns.
The Switch
A significant turning point in the shift from traditional mail to email marketing occurred in 2002, when the U.S. Postal Service increased the price of a first-class stamp from 34 to 37 cents, marking a 7.7% rate hike. This rise in mailing costs prompted many businesses to seek more cost-effective communication methods, leading to a substantial shift toward electronic alternatives like email. The ability to deliver messages instantly and at a fraction of the cost made email an increasingly attractive option for marketers.
This transition marked a significant turning point, as businesses began to integrate digital communication into their marketing strategies, moving away from traditional direct mail.
