In today’s Internet age and ever-changing retail landscape, the study’s findings show that advertising inserts are read at the same level and remain an integral channel for retailers to reach consumers.

Type of Promotional Material/Activity Tested:

Ad inserts/circulars

Sample Population:

2,500 adults (18 and older) and leading national advertisers.

Methodology:

Random telephone survey of consumers conducted every 2 years since 1997.

Metrics:

Readership of advertising inserts and circulars and their role in purchase decisions of consumers.

Top Line Results:

• 74% of participants read a newspaper in the 7 days prior to the survey.  71% of participants mostly receive their ad inserts through newspapers while 23% receive inserts mostly via the mail.

• 84% of participants report reading advertising inserts. Weekday inserts were read by 65% of all participants.

• Over the span of the multi-year survey, insert readership increased by 7%.

• 31% of participants choose ad inserts/circulars as the media that most influences their purchasing choices; TV was chosen by only 18% and the Internet was chosen by only 6%. Inserts in general are the #1 media that influences buying decisions among both men and women.

• For specific product categories, inserts/circulars are most influential in deciding where to shop for groceries, clothing, and home electronics.  Describing shopping behavior in the latest survey, 55% of participants report doing their shopping research using circulars and then making a trip to the store to purchase.

• Ad inserts/circulars, TV, and newspaper ads lead the way more than five-fold over Internet ads in influencing buying decisions.