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If you’re a marketer or creative working in an organization with a direct mail program that isn’t yet leveraging Variable Data Print (VDP), you’re not alone.
Variable Data Print (VDP) has been around for decades—almost every piece of mail we receive includes at least a unique address. Technically, that counts as VDP. But today, the term refers to a much broader and more powerful marketing toolbox. Around 65% of direct mail includes basic personalization, like a name or a variable offer. But when it comes to data-driven personalization powered by true consumer insights, adoption is much lower.
At Thysse, we’ve made significant investments in VDP capabilities because we’ve seen the value it brings. The internet is full of bold claims about VDP performance: "4X ROI" or "300% better response rates." Are they true? Sometimes. But those stats are often taken out of context and used without explaining the real effort required to make them happen.
This article focuses on the process of VDP adoption—not just the outcomes—to give your team a clear understanding of what it takes to implement variable print and why it's worth it.
The number one barrier to VDP adoption we see? Process uncertainty. Marketing and creative teams often understand the value of VDP, but they get stuck figuring out how to operationalize it. This puts internal champions in a tough spot when trying to build a roadmap or sell the idea internally.
That’s where we come in. By focusing on the step-by-step process, Thysse helps teams remove roadblocks and build confidence. This article is designed to do the same.
Getting started with VDP means understanding the three main components:
This is your mailing list—expanded. It’s the spreadsheet that contains the names and addresses needed for any mailing. If all you’re doing is name personalization, there’s actually no difference between your mailing list and the data source file. Actually, that goes for any element in your address—and there’s quite a bit you can do with an address. However, the mailing list spreadsheet becomes a Data Source File when it includes additional data, or points to data/assets saved outside of the spreadsheet.
An example of additional data saved in the spreadsheet is a variable offer. Let’s say you want to test “20% OFF” against “25% OFF”. The actual values would be added to the spreadsheet itself.
An example of data saved outside the spreadsheet is a variable image. Testing two different main visuals would entail saving those visuals in an “Asset Folder” and referencing the asset name in the spreadsheet. We’ll get into more detail in a moment.
Think of each row as one recipient, and each column as a variable you can plug into your creative. For marketers, this means campaign strategy starts in the Data Source File—and that spreadsheet becomes the engine that drives creative output.
This is your master design template, often created in Adobe InDesign. To add name personalization, dynamic offers, or any other variable element, your designer just needs to define those fields in the Layout File. Variable element fields are named to correspond with column headers in your Data Source File.
You’ll also need to “package” your Layout File so your print partner has access to the fonts and links. That’s it.
From there, your printer’s software can pull and merge both asset categories into print-ready PDFs—one for each recipient. Thysse does this faster than we can print them—which is 500 feet per minute!
We’ve already touched on this, but when you're ready to personalize with longer copy, images, maps, or scannable codes, you'll need an Asset Folder. This is just a single folder of files—JPGs, PNGs, TXT files and even software tools that create the scannable codes or personalized maps.
One nuance to how this works is each row in the Data Source File includes a filename without an extension. This enables the printer's software to pull that asset into the layout for each specific recipient. For example:
Data Source File contains a column called Hero Image and each row gets a value of either HeroImage1 or HeroImage2
Layout File contains a variable field for the hero image
Asset Folder contains: HeroImage1.jpeg, HeroImage2.jpeg
Assuming name personalization was included—and with these additional elements in place— your printer can generate a unique print file and mailer for every recipient.
Using multiple versions of a mailer in the same print/mail run is a powerful marketing and efficiency-driving approach. On efficiency, versioning enables you to consolidate production of your mailings into a single run, which is more cost effective to produce and mail–and it makes timing print campaigns easier.
The marketing value of versioning is where the magic happens. Let’s walk through the progressive capabilities it unlocks using an apparel retailer example:
Basic Versioning
Say this retailer has three geographic climate zones and two gender attributes to work with. Each climate zone gets a different product mix, and each gender gets a unique version of the mailer, resulting in a total of six. The primary benefit the retailer unlocks is serving more relevant product offers to their audience, while preserving name personalization.
Improving relevance in this way, and adding name personalization are significant upgrades. The retailer probably would have chosen to use three Layout Files to execute this mailing. Though it could be done with just one, creative teams often find managing additional layout files to be a more intuitive way to manage the process.
Versioning With A/B Testing
Now let’s say the retailer wants to A/B test the main visual in their next mailing. In this scenario, their six versions double to 12. And, they decide to incorporate a single-use personalized discount code to track results. This unlocks new data insights which can be used to improve messaging across all channels, not just mail. Aggregating improvements–small or large, over time drives meaningful growth.
Let’s say this retailer tested 20% of their overall national mailing, reserving the 80% balance until the test is complete. Let’s also say they saw an average 6% improvement across all main visual test winners. The approach boosted overall ROI by 4.8%, and the discount code made attribution clear. The retailer also gained creative insights into what their customer segments preferred, which can be incorporated into other channels and future creative strategy.
Now, with the right advanced math degrees, we might be able to accurately measure the value-ripple-effects the mailing had—but suffice to say, it exceeds that which would be directly associated with the mailing.
Versioning With Advanced A/B Testing
With increasing confidence in their ability to execute VDP and leverage the data, let’s say this retailer’s next move is to refine audience segments. They have income level and age data to work with. They break income into two categories and age into three. This graphic illustrates what this mailing looks like:
Achieving this unlocks new product relevance improvements and enables them to test each segment separately and assess return on ad spend (ROAS). Where before they may have seen positive overall results, this approach enables them to measure each segment and make decisions. Perhaps they discover their youngest male segment is negative across all climate zones and versions. The insight gives the retailer an opportunity to refine offers or cut that segment from future mailings.
The ROI-driving power of this VDP mail capability is clear, and it adds the missing context around claims that it can 3X your results. It can, but not because you added name personalization to a single mailing. It unlocks a completely different set of tools that can be systematically applied to drive optimization, efficiency and ROI.
The goal of this article is to help those considering VDP mail adoption do it. The following stage descriptions are intended to help break down the process so you can determine where to start. The key takeaway is: Personalization and versioning offer meaningful improvement opportunities at each stage, so don’t be afraid to walk before you run. Building confidence, experience and scaling positive results is a journey.
At this stage, all your variable elements live in the Data Source File. That means you're personalizing names, offers, scannable codes, and maps, but not using an Asset Folder.
You’re likely working with simpler formats: postcards, letters, or self-mailers.
What to expect: Expect improved response rates—especially if your mail supports a well-optimized omnichannel funnel. You’ll be able to test and iterate easily, with no extra printing cost.
The key is to treat VDP like a digital channel: test often, optimize continuously, and look for incremental lifts. But make sure your downstream funnel (landing pages, offer fulfillment, sales handoff) is conversion-ready before investing heavily in print.
Now you're using an Asset Folder to personalize visuals, longer messages, or regionally targeted content. You’re managing multiple versions of your layout and running A/B tests within different segments.
This is also when most marketers start expanding their use cases: event triggers (like birthdays or post-purchase follow-up), re-engagement mailings, and campaign automation. Where before you were using iterating with personalized and versioned content, now you’re using triggers to time messages and leverage trigger meaning for deeper personalization.
What to expect: You’re now able to gather deeper insights into what works. Does a discount outperform a bundle? Does a hero image featuring Product A beat Product B? Can you cross-sell items after a purchase? Does a customer anniversary offer outperform a seasonal offer?
These learnings can inform your broader strategy. And as you test, your campaigns become more targeted and effective across all channels.
Triggered mail is usually still manual at this stage: you or your team export a list and send it to your mail partner. In the Fly stage, that gets automated.
This is where your VDP process gets sophisticated. Your CRM, CDP, or marketing automation platform automatically triggers mailings when conditions you set are met. Your print/mail services provider stores the layout files and asset library associated with each mailing and receives automated mail orders from you that go directly into our production workflow.
Like with digital ads, you’re monitoring results and making adjustments over time, but executing these mailings is automated.
Some of Thysse’s clients mail dozens of times each week, leveraging use-cases they know work without missing an opportunity.
Complexity may ramp up, too, with higher page count mailers. A 24-page catalog personalized by customer segment, product interest, and loyalty status might involve hundreds of unique assets for each segment. Managing this generally requires additional software integrations, though there are ways to simplify the process with versioning.
This was a lot of information, but hopefully it helps demystify VDP and show that it’s more accessible than it seems. Even a small move from static to personalized mail can deliver meaningful performance gains that pave the way towards increasingly effective ways to drive multichannel growth over time.
The process becomes more complex as you scale, but it’s entirely manageable with the right guidance. And you don’t have to do it alone, or all at once.
If you're ready to take the next step or just want to learn more, reach out. Our team is here to help you navigate the path to better results.
