As we head halfway through Q4 2025, the headline isn’t novelty, it’s the maturation of practical tools that improve speed, relevance, and attribution. This article recaps what’s proven out across 2025 and what will sustain or evolve into 2026. The theme remains the same: test faster, attribute cleanly, and scale only what the data supports.
1) Personalization at Scale — 2025 Reality »»» 2026 Direction
2025 in brief: Variable data printing (VDP) went beyond first name to offers, images, and layouts that align across both sides of the piece. Teams that limited variables to the few that matter most (offer, headline, hero image) managed costs and errors best.
2026: what persists
- Tighter audience sizing and version control to keep complexity in
- More templated creative systems that snap in segment specific elements without full
- Personalization anchored to lifecycle events (onboarding, reactivation) rather than only
How to apply it
- Start with 3–5 core segments and 1–2 offers per
- Mirror visual hierarchy on address and message
- Track response by segment × creative version so winners scale
2) AI in the Mail Workflow — Copy, Creative, Lists & QA
2025 in brief: AI became standard for first draft copy, creative variants, list modeling, and preflight QA. Best in class teams locked brand style guides and human review checkpoints to keep outputs consistent.
2026: what persists
- Guard railed AI pipelines: on brand prompts, tone presets, and approval
- AI assisted dedupe/suppression and anomaly detection before
- Routine AI preflight for fonts, safe areas, indicia, and barcode
How to apply it
- Use AI for ideation; finalize with brand
- Model lists only after hygiene (NCOA/CASS/DPV) and
- Automate a preflight checklist to catch preventable
3) 3D/Dimensional Mail — High Awareness When Economics Work
2025 in brief: Dimensional formats again proved their ability to win attention, but costs required disciplined targeting. ROI was strongest where lifetime value justified the spend and dies were amortized across a series.
Reference: Printing Impressions’ coverage explains why dimensional mail tends to outperform standard formats.
2026: what persists
- Use for high value segments and account based
- Engineer inserts/nested components to extend dwell
- Pair with a scannable element (QR/NFC) for frictionless
4) Triggered & Programmatic Direct Mail from Digital Signals
2025 in brief: Triggered print from online events (browse/cart/purchase) matured, with SLAs measured in days, not weeks. Speed mattered, but relevance (category, recency, price band) mattered more.
2026: what persists
- Consolidating triggers to those with verified incremental
- Template libraries that personalize the offer/hero image from the
- Persistent holdouts to measure true
How to apply it
- Stand up a minimal event taxonomy (viewed, carted, purchased).
- Cap frequency; pause low performing
- Attribute with unique codes/URLs per
5) Omnichannel Orchestration with USPS Informed Delivery®
2025 in brief: Informed Delivery continued to extend reach with synchronized email impressions and clickable ride along content, often arriving before the physical piece.
Reference: USPS reported 72.9 million users as of March 31, 2025 (Year in Review).
2026: what persists
- Tighter creative alignment across mail, email, and landing
- Ongoing testing of send timing (pre-arrival vs. day of).
6) AR & Interactive Elements — Guided by USPS Promotions
2025 in brief: AR, video in print, and NFC remained niche but useful when they solved a real problem (visualizing scale or fit). Postage incentives helped offset pilot costs.
Reference: USPS’s Tactile, Sensory & Interactive Promotion outlines eligibility and discounts.
2026: what persists
- Utility over gimmick: focus on demos and guided
- Obvious activation (QR or tap) with a payoff in the first 3
- Measurement beyond scans: dwell time and assisted
7) Creative Heuristics that Keep Winning
- One job per side; headline that sells the
- Scannable bullets and generous contrast to reduce cognitive
- Mirror front/back so the message resolves instantly.
- Use whitespace intentionally; personalize sparingly and with
8) Data Discipline, Privacy & Measurement
2025 in brief: List hygiene (NCOA, CASS, DPV), suppression rules, and match back methodology separated signal from noise. Privacy expectations kept teams conservative with PII in artwork and tight on permissions.
2026: what persists
- Ongoing hygiene and suppression
- Household level attribution windows aligned to typical consideration
- Seed addresses and unique URLs to detect
9) Late 2025 »»» 2026 Checklist
- Codify your 2025 learnings into 2026 test plans (one new variable per drop).
- Lock an always-on triggered program and one-dimensional pilot where LTV supports
- Add Informed Delivery to priority drops for incremental reach/clicks.
- Keep a strict attribution plan (holdouts, unique codes/URLs).
Carry Forward What Works
Through 2025, the winners used technology to clarify, not complicate the mail piece. The constraint remains attention: you get only seconds to prove relevance. As you plan 2026, tie every tool, personalization, AI, dimensional formats, Informed Delivery, and selective interactivity, back to a single, obvious action for the recipient.
Author Bio
Shiela CRST is a Web Services Representative at Cornerstone Services, Inc. (CRST), a Hudson Valley, NY marketing/printing firm combining direct mail, EDDM, data, and web/SEO. She focuses on clear strategy, creative that converts, and rigorous tracking.
