How to Get More for Your Money in Mail Surveys

The question of whether personalization increases or decreases mail survey response rates has not been completely resolved in the marketing literature. Also, few studies address the issue of whether the results of the personalization are worth the added cost. This study shows that different postage treatments in combination with different levels of cover letter personalization result in a significant difference in response rates to mail questionnaires. A cost/benefit analysis of the effectiveness of increased personalization is also presented.