When Everything Goes Digital, Analog Stands Out
Vinyl records, film cameras and printed magazines are making a comeback in an increasingly digital world. What might seem like simple nostalgia raises an interesting question for marketers: Could physical experiences become more valuable as artificial intelligence transforms how consumers discover and purchase products?
AI is already reshaping the customer journey, challenging how brands build visibility, collect customer insights and maintain direct relationships. As more interactions move into AI-powered environments, physical touchpoints may offer an opportunity to connect with consumers beyond the screen.
From Search Engines to AI Answers: The New Visibility Challenge
For years, brands have relied on search engines, paid advertising and optimised websites to reach potential customers. But AI-powered search is beginning to change how consumers discover products and make purchasing decisions. Rather than browsing multiple websites, users can increasingly receive recommendations directly from tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Google’s AI Overviews.
The impact is already measurable. According to a 2026 SISTRIX analysis covering over 100 million keywords in Germany, the click-through rate for Google’s first organic result drops from approximately 27% to 11% when an AI Overview appears. Similarly, Pew Research Center found that US users clicked traditional search results in 8% of visits featuring an AI summary, compared with 15% without one. While these comparisons don’t establish causation on their own, they highlight an important shift: appearing in search results doesn’t necessarily translate into website visits.
This development has accelerated interest in Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), which focuses on increasing brand visibility within AI-generated responses. As OMR explains, appearing in an AI answer as a brand recommendation is not the same as having a website cited as a source. Both can contribute to visibility, but neither guarantees traffic or conversions.
For marketers, the challenge is therefore expanding beyond traditional search rankings. Brands must increasingly consider how they remain visible and relevant when consumers receive answers without necessarily visiting their websites.
When AI Shops for Us: The First-Party Data Challenge
The transformation doesn’t stop at product discovery. With the emergence of agentic commerce, AI assistants are evolving from recommendation tools into systems that can support purchasing decisions and, through certain integrations, facilitate transactions.
Imagine someone looking for running shoes. Instead of comparing products across several online shops, they ask an AI assistant to recommend the best option based on their budget and preferences. The assistant evaluates alternatives and guides the purchase, potentially without the customer visiting the retailer’s website.
Convenient for consumers, but what does this mean for brands?
Traditionally, direct website visits generate valuable first-party behavioural data. Marketers can observe which products customers explore, what alternatives they compare and where they abandon their shopping carts. These insights help optimise campaigns, personalise experiences and understand purchasing intentions.
When more of this journey takes place within external AI platforms, some behavioural signals may become less accessible. Importantly, this doesn’t mean retailers automatically lose all first-party data. Depending on the integration, merchants can still receive transaction information, including purchased products, order values and fulfilment details. However, insights into the research and consideration stages may remain with the AI platform.
Brands may still know what customers bought, but understand less about how and why they chose it.
This distinction matters because visibility alone doesn’t create a customer relationship. Being recommended by an AI assistant doesn’t necessarily result in direct interaction, identifiable customer data or long-term engagement. As AI increasingly mediates parts of the purchasing journey, brands have good reason to diversify the ways they connect with consumers.
The Unboxing Moment: A Physical Touchpoint Beyond the Algorithm
Regardless of whether a purchase begins through Google, an online marketplace or an AI assistant, physical products still need to be delivered. And with every delivery comes something that remains outside the digital discovery process: the unboxing moment.
A thoughtfully designed voucher, product sample or promotional insert creates an opportunity for consumers to interact with a brand in their own homes. Unlike digital advertising competing for attention on crowded screens, printed materials can be held, examined and saved for later.
This doesn’t guarantee engagement. The effectiveness of an insert still depends on the relevance of the audience, the quality of the offer and the creative execution. But it offers an additional way to reach consumers without relying entirely on search algorithms or digital advertising auctions.
This is where insert marketing becomes strategically interesting.
Through Affiliprint’s network, advertisers can reach online shoppers via parcels they already receive, while e-commerce retailers can unlock additional value from their existing distribution channels.
For advertisers, this means diversifying customer acquisition through relevant vouchers, product samples and creative print formats. Rather than replacing digital advertising, parcel inserts complement existing campaigns with a tangible brand experience.
For publishers, outgoing shipments become more than a logistical necessity. Retailers can generate additional revenue by including advertising inserts or explore barter arrangements that exchange distribution opportunities with suitable partners.
Both approaches make use of an existing physical touchpoint, connecting advertisers seeking relevant audiences with publishers looking to maximise the value of their shipments.
Print Meets Performance: Measuring What Really Matters
One common assumption about print marketing is that its impact is difficult to measure. Modern insert marketing challenges this by connecting physical distribution with digital tracking.
QR codes direct recipients to dedicated landing pages, unique voucher codes help attribute purchases to specific promotions, and personalised offers allow campaigns to be tailored to different audiences. Solutions such as ParcelDealz can also support more flexible insert targeting through on-demand printing during fulfilment.
These capabilities allow marketers to evaluate familiar metrics, including response rates, conversion rates and cost per acquisition. However, tracking a conversion doesn’t necessarily prove that the campaign created an additional sale.
For example, a customer redeeming a voucher may already have intended to purchase. To estimate the campaign’s actual incremental impact, advertisers can compare similar groups of shipments, with one group receiving the insert and another serving as a control group. A well-designed test can help determine whether the campaign generated additional purchases rather than simply capturing existing demand.
Physical campaigns can also support first-party data acquisition. A QR-code scan alone doesn’t create an identifiable customer relationship, but a recipient who voluntarily registers for an offer or provides their details through a landing page may become a direct contact, subject to applicable data protection requirements.
The real opportunity is therefore not simply making print measurable. It’s understanding whether physical touchpoints create additional customers, valuable engagement and long-term business impact.
The Role of Print in Tomorrow's Marketing Mix
AI is changing how consumers discover brands, make purchasing decisions and interact with businesses. As digital journeys become increasingly mediated by external platforms, maintaining visibility and direct customer relationships will require a more diversified approach.
GEO can help brands compete for attention within AI-generated answers, while first-party data strategies remain essential for understanding and engaging customers. Physical touchpoints such as parcel inserts add another opportunity to connect with consumers beyond digital discovery.
The future of marketing isn’t about choosing between print and digital, but combining their strengths where they create the most value.
At Affiliprint, we help advertisers and publishers make the most of these opportunities through targeted, measurable insert marketing.
Ready to Make More of Every Parcel?
Whether you’re looking to reach new customers or unlock additional value from your outgoing shipments, let’s explore how insert marketing can support your business.
