MyMail adoption and Canada Post app downloads soar thanks to direct mail

At a glance

• Direct mail can drive app downloads by turning attention in the mailbox into action on a mobile device.
• Targeted mail, paired with a clear QR code or custom URL, can move audiences from mailbox to app store quickly.
• When direct mail and digital channels work together, brands can increase awareness, trust and app adoption.

Canada Post’s MyMail gives users visibility into what is arriving in their mailbox through the Canada Post mobile app. Available exclusively through the Canada Post mobile app, it also creates an opportunity for businesses to add marketing messages alongside mail notifications.

“The more we talked about MyMail, the more people wanted to use it,” said Anca Ilea, Marketing Specialist at Canada Post. “We just needed to elevate awareness and adoption.”

After months of slower-than-expected adoption through digital channels, Canada Post turned to direct mail, targeting geographic areas with the highest likelihood of adoption.

“The solution we needed was already here,” Anca said. “We had the data, we knew our audience, and we knew how to make direct mail work for us.”

Tailoring the message: How audience targeting shaped the campaign

Using postal code data and postal code-level attributes, the Canada Post marketing team targeted residential households across Canada by delivery type – community mailboxes, apartment buildings and to-door mailboxes – excluding addresses already actively using MyMail.

To make the message feel relevant, the team created three versions of the direct mail piece, each with an image tailored to how that audience receives its mail. The goal was simple: Show customers their everyday mail experience, and MyMail becomes easier to understand.

Each direct mail piece included a trackable QR code and custom URL directed to their appropriate app store, where they could download it or register for MyMail if they already had the app.

The campaign ran in two three-month waves:

• Wave 1 mailed 1.5 million personalized pieces nationally, with creative tailored to community mailboxes and apartment buildings and two calls to action: a QR code and custom URL.
• Wave 2 expanded to 2 million pieces and built on the first wave’s learnings by introducing a third creative for to-door delivery.

“It was about making sure we reached the right people, with the right message,” Anca said.

Direct mail was integrated into a broader omnichannel effort including email newsletters, search and website banners.

Measuring the lift: How direct mail drove MyMail registrations

Canada Post’s first direct mail campaign designed to drive app adoption delivered strong results.

Across both waves, the campaign generated 197,566 new MyMail users.

• Wave 1 delivered a 5.74% response rate for 92,738 new MyMail registrations
• Wave 2 delivered a 4.76% response rate for 104,828 new MyMail registrations

“Those response rates were incredible for the campaign,” Anca said. “Interestingly, among all new MyMail registrations from January to September, 9 in 10 saw one of our direct mail pieces. That’s proof direct mail will drive people to download when you have the right message.”

Looking ahead: Scaling future app adoption campaigns

Building on these results, Canada Post will continue to run direct mail campaigns for MyMail, using what it learned from the first two waves to reach postal codes with the highest propensity for adoption.

By looking at where MyMail performed best, the team can identify other communities across the country that share similar characteristics and target them with future campaigns.

The next campaign is already prepared, with millions of pieces ready to go. That gives the team a clear opportunity to scale what worked: strong targeting, relevant creative and a direct path from mailbox to mobile.

“Direct mail works,” Anca said. “It’s about reaching the right people and driving action.”

Key takeaways

• Canada Post used direct mail to boost MyMail adoption and app downloads by targeting likely households.
• Creative tailored to how people receive their mail helped make the message more relevant and easier to understand.
• The campaign showed that direct mail can create measurable lift when it is integrated with digital and built around clear audience data.