Hotel Chocolat’s Secret Sauce: Direct Mail precision powered by ZAP~POST x Ometria

"I love the self-serve element - being able to upload artwork, create a proof and just get it done."

- Shauna Murphy, CRM Manager

Creative updates no longer mean agency loops and minor changes didn’t stall campaigns, allowing the team to move at the pace of retail. It was an operational shift that unlocked scale, especially during peak trading.

For Black Friday 2025, Hotel Chocolat mailed postcards to a sizeable segment using the ZAP~POST X Ometria integration and control splits of 90/10 to measure true incremental uplift over 6 customer segments.

ROAS reporting, sitting directly within the ZAP~POST platform, means campaign performance is instantly visible and easy to monitor without any manual reconciliation necessary.

Shauna’s reaction sums it up perfectly…

"The numbers were crazy."

- Shauna Murphy, CRM Manager

With ZAP~POST’s Direct Mail Events instantly updating in Ometria, attribution is no longer a minefield. For Hotel Chocolat, Direct Mail is now attributable alongside digital, retail, and app performance - with confidence.

In January, a highly targeted campaign focused on Velvetiser owners, encouraging repeat purchases of their specialised “drinking chocolate”.

The objective was habit-building: driving second and third purchases, strengthening brand loyalty in turn.

The Outcome

• 2025 BFCM campaigns delivered ROAS up to 1:31 over 6 segments
• 2026 Replenishment campaign drove 8% conversion in the first 11 days

 
Outstanding results from a tightly-defined audience, identified as the ideal recipients for this specific campaign, at the perfect time.

Crucially, Hotel Chocolat’s campaign performance was also measured beyond QR scans. Shauna Murphy and her team used matchback reporting to capture customers who returned via web or store. This combination solidified the impact of their mailings and amplified their trust in direct mail.

With simplified execution, the Hotel Chocolat team could personalise, segment and test without any operational friction.

Direct Mail became:

• Faster to deploy
• Easier to optimise
• Fully measurable
• Integrated with their existing Ometria setup

At HC HQ, performance didn’t go unnoticed.

"There’s been a LOT of excitement internally."

- Shauna Murphy, CRM Manager