Direct mail case study: Paktor celebrate Singles’ Day with surprise visits

Singles' Day on 11 November began as a day to call out singletons and symbolised by the "bare sticks" in the date “November 11” or “11/11”. While e-commerce behemoths may have colonised the day as an online shopping bonanza or popular culture brushing it off as just a ‘phase in life’, Paktor set out on a mission to reclaim the meaning and pride of loving one’s self on Singles’ Day through a multi-country, omni-channel campaign.

On 11 November, selected Paktor users across Singapore, Taiwan and Malaysia received a lunchtime surprise delivery when they used the app and opted in for the surprise via an in-app form.

As part of Paktor’s multi-prong approach to engage with Paktor existing users, the hand-prepared card demonstrated the value of sincerity and human touch that direct mailers bring. They also ignited an emotional and physical connection with our users whom we usually communicate with online.

For users who missed out on the lunchtime surprise, we personally mailed out a Singles’ Day card to them with the message “You are not alone!” containing the well-wishes from the three co-founders that Paktor is always there for them.

Riding on the back of the surprise element, Paktor also partnered with ‘A Better Florist’ to distribute roses at different locations around Singapore. The rose giveaways succeeded in putting a smile on peoples’ faces, authenticating the meaning of Singles’ Day.

Around 398 singles opted in to participate in Paktor’s Singles’ Day campaign – four were selected for the lunchtime surprise delivery while direct mailers were mailed to the other 395 singles who were not selected for the delivery. Over 1,000 roses were fully given out on the streets of Singapore.

Paktor experienced an overwhelming influx of users swiping hard on Singles’ Day (50 times higher than the average).

• Objective

To let users know Paktor cares and they are not forgotten on Singles’ Day.

• Target audience

All active users on the Paktor app and singles in Singapore

• Overall Results

Around 398 singles opted in to participate in Paktor’s Singles’ Day campaign. Over 1,000 roses were fully given out on the streets of Singapore.

The writer is Charlene Koh, CMO of Paktor.

The Direct Mail Case Study is brought to you by Marketing Magazine in association with DMrocket.