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The Royal Mail delivery crisis, which has led to accusations that parcels are being prioritised over letters, has sparked fears that direct mail could suffer amid claims that the industry is already desperately trying to hold the tide back on clients questioning the channel.
According to a recent study by Royal Mail Marketreach, backed by the Advertising Association, direct mail and door drops are the strongest communication channels when it comes to building – and even rebuilding – trust, with mailshots seen as more than twice as reliable as TV, OOH, press, email or radio ads.
This data appears to have gone down well with clients, too, with direct mail spend more than holding its own in the face of the digital onslaught. However, some fear this could be put in jeopardy due to the current backlash, with clients losing faith in the channel.
One industry source told Decision Marketing: “There has been a real collective effort to keep direct mail in the media mix, from mailing houses and the Mail Users Association to Jicmail and, ironically, Royal Mail itself. The industry, including trade bodies like the DMA, needs to get on the case and redouble efforts to ensure all this hard work does not go to waste.”
The warning follows growing negativity towards the postal giant. Last week, the Business & Trade Committee of MPs demanded “categorical assurance” that from Royal Mail that parcels are not being prioritised over letters; it has given the company until March 2 to provide commitments to address the issue.
Within 24 hours, new delivery data revealed that between September 29 and November 30 2025, only 77.5% of first-class post had arrived the next working day, while 91.6% of second-class mail was delivered within three working days.
Royal Mail said the figures marked an improvement on the previous quarter, but they still fell way short of the targets set by Ofcom, which are for 93% of first-class post to be delivered the next day and 98.5% of second-class to be delivered within three days.
The group is now calling for “urgent deployment” of the reformed Universal Service Obligation (USO) model, including the controversial move to scrap second-class post deliveries on Saturdays.
Commenting on the figures, Citizens Advice head of policy Anne Pardoe said consumers were “fed up with Royal Mail’s woeful performance”.
She added: “Things risk getting worse when cuts to delivery days come into full effect. With second-class delivery opportunities set to be halved, it’s concerning that people aren’t even getting their post on time now.
“Late deliveries are not a minor inconvenience. They mean missed medical appointments, delayed benefit decisions, unpaid bills and fines. Any future stamp price rises must be contingent on Royal Mail meeting its delivery targets. Higher prices must come with higher standards – not broken promises.”
Royal Mail chief executive Alistair Cochrane responded: “Unfortunately, under the current delivery model, there is no viable way to significantly and sustainably improve quality of service for customers.
“The answer is to urgently implement Universal Service reform, which is why we have now entered an intense period of discussions with the CWU to finally reach an agreement on these changes.”
However, the Communications Workers Union is in little doubt what the problem is, laying the blame squarely at the door of Royal Mail, citing a long-term recruitment crisis caused by the decision to impose “lower wages and poor conditions” on new starters in 2022.
CWU general secretary Dave Ward said: “These results are not because of illness, as senior Royal Mail figures claim, but because of chronic mismanagement at the top of Royal Mail itself.
“These failures are due to a recruitment crisis that has been caused by the decision to impose low wages and poor conditions on new starters in 2022.
“This devaluing of a postal worker’s job, combined with a toxic managerial culture, has created chaos and demoralisation in almost every workplace across the country.
“However, Royal Mail’s proposal for implementing the new changes will only make matters worse and will result in Ofcom fining the company out of existence.”
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