State of Direct Mail 2026 | Healthcare
Why healthcare is leaning into
direct mail right now
Healthcare marketers are under more pressure than ever to acquire, support, and retain
patients and members in a high-cost, highly regulated environment. Our State of Direct Mail
2026 shows that instead of pulling back, healthcare teams are putting more of their 2026
budget into direct mail than any other industry in the study.
They’re using mail in the places it performs best: nurturing existing relationships and winning
back high-value customers – but that success is bumping up against real gaps in logistics
visibility, USPS-driven complexity, and compliance.
What follows is a snapshot of how healthcare leaders invest in direct mail today, where it’s
working hardest, and the operational gaps they’ll need to solve in the year ahead.
Study methodology
Lob, in partnership with Kelsey White Research Consulting, surveyed 250 senior marketing and operations leaders in North America who oversee direct mail programs. Respondents represented companies sending 1M+ mail annually across industries including financial services, healthcare, insurance, retail, and automotive.
Healthcare is putting more of its 2026
budget into mail than any other industry
90% of leaders plan to increase their direct mail budgets this year, and healthcare is leading the way.
On average, healthcare firms expect to put 28% of their 2026 marketing budget into direct mail, the
highest share of any industry in the study.
That level of investment reflects performance: healthcare leaders report some of the strongest ROI
from direct mail, and for many, it has shifted from a “nice-to-have” channel to a core part of how they
retain and re-engage patients and members.
Approximately what percentage of your company’s 2026 marketing budget
is allocated to direct mail?
Mail does its best work keeping patients
and members engaged
Healthcare leaders see direct mail as a workhorse across the entire lifecycle, with a strong edge in
retention. Nearly all say it’s effective for existing customer retention (97%) and dormant or churned
winback (96%), making it a natural fit for keeping patients and members engaged over time.
How effective is direct mail in meeting the following campaign goals?
Logistics blind spots are the weakest link in
healthcare mail
For healthcare teams, the biggest friction isn’t the message, it’s everything that happens after the file
is sent to print. 87% of leaders say logistics (printing, shipping, distribution) are a blind spot, and 82%
have dealt with surprise costs or missed delivery windows because no one clearly owns that part of
the process. From production to in-home delivery, small breakdowns can quickly turn into big,
expensive problems.
87%
of leaders overall say logistics (printing, shipping, distribution) are a blind spot.
82%
have dealt with surprise costs or missed delivery windows due to lack of logistics ownership.
Compliance priorities are reshaping how
(and when) leaders mail
For healthcare, direct mail is as much a compliance channel as it is a marketing one. Operations
leaders are most concerned with when pieces land and how patient data is handled, with in-home
timing and PII protection topping their compliance list.
What are the top 3 concerns you have when it comes to compliance in
direct mail execution?
Three ways healthcare teams can act
on this data
We hope these State of Direct Mail insights help you plan where mail fits in your 2026 healthcare
strategy, from channel mix to logistics and compliance.
Here are a few action steps to consider:
Double down on retention and winback journeys.Focus mail on keeping patients and members active (refills, annual visits,
screenings, and re-enrollment) with automated workflows for who gets what,
when.Put someone in charge of logistics and USPS.Assign clear ownership for print and delivery, explore regional print, and set
simple playbooks for timing and postage to cut surprise costs and missed in-
home dates.Build compliance in from the start.Design campaigns around PII and timing requirements upfront, and align
marketing, ops, and compliance early so every send is both effective and
defendable.
Ready to put this into practice?
Talk with our team to map these insights to your campaigns
and spot quick wins for next year’s mail.