Direct mail is a highly accountable, data-driven growth channel that gives marketers unmatched control over who they reach, how they engage and what results they generate. Organizations now dedicate an average of 25% of their marketing budgets to direct mail, and nine in 10 leaders increased investment year over year, signaling confidence in its performance and predictability. Direct mail is taking on a more strategic role in today’s marketing mix as a high-impact complement to other channels that helps brands create demand, strengthen performance and build longer-lasting relationships. It offers a physical brand moment that supports stronger recall, emotional engagement and credibility. Recent Epsilon research also points to the channel being a strong driver of customer engagement, with 41% of Gen Z and 45% of millennials stating that they are likely to use catalogs for holiday shopping.

Online retail (ecommerce) sales in April 2026 grew at a rate of more than 10% year over year for the first time since 2021, according to Digital Commerce 360 analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Commerce. U.S. ecommerce in April 2026 also grew at more than twice the rate of total sales that month. Total retail sales in April 2026 reached $137.56 billion. That was about a 4.9% year-over-year increase from $123.85 billion. Additionally, total retail sales growth came despite higher fuel costs tied largely to the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran, which began at the end of February. Ecommerce has also grown at more than twice the rate of total retail in both March and April.

The Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly passed a bill that would impose sweeping restrictions on tech companies' ability to serve content to minors and handle their data. But the measure's fate is uncertain, given that it's expected to face opposition in the House of Representatives. The Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act, approved 91-3, combines two previously separate bills -- the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), introduced by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0), introduced by Senators Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts) and Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana).