Print flyers aren't going anywhere just yet. According to the Toluna survey conducted for Pub Audit, mail-delivered advertisements continue to rank particularly high among the French in terms of trust, attention, and usefulness before a purchase.
According to this fifth edition of the survey, 57% of French respondents say they trust the advertisements they receive in their mailboxes.
That?s slightly higher than for television (at 56%) and higher than for print media (at 53%). The gap widens when it comes to ads on the internet, social media, apps, and text messages: only 32 to 34% of the 1,295 French people surveyed say they trust them.
Flyers Are More Useful Than Digital Catalogs for Planning Purchases
The findings are also favorable to flyers when it comes to planning grocery shopping. 53% of French people surveyed find the catalogs and flyers they receive in their mailboxes useful. The figure is the same for printed materials picked up in stores.
The online digital catalog comes in third, at 43 percent. Social media accounts for 30 percent, compared with 28 percent for text messages, online ads, and apps.
And these printed materials don't necessarily end up at the bottom of the mailbox. 70% of French people say they look through or flip through the flyers, catalogs, or advertisements they receive at home at least once a month.
Ease of use was cited by 86% of respondents, ahead of price comparison (84%), help with creating a shopping list (80%), and savings (79%).
Local print news gains nine points in one year
Despite the shift to digital for some mail, people still check their mailboxes very regularly. 64% of French people check their mailboxes every day or almost every day, and 97% do so at least once a week. Among those over 35, 73% say they check their mailboxes daily or almost daily.
There is also a strong attachment to local news in print. 77% of respondents say they would miss the news from their local city hall or region if it were no longer delivered to their mailboxes. That is nine percentage points higher than in 2025.
For communications from local elected officials, the proportion reached 70 percent, also up by nine percentage points.
Pub Audit, an advertising buying agency that supports more than 12,000 retail locations and advises more than 150 retail chains, has commissioned this survey every year since 2022. Its executives, Loïc Verley and Arnaud Dubin, summarize: "This survey shows that print advertising is more relevant than ever in an advertising landscape now saturated with screens. This is a sign of the French people?s attachment to paper and the values it represents: community, a physical connection, and support for the local economy and community life."
In fact, they note: "We are seeing a noticeable trend of retailers returning to print advertising delivered to mailboxes to reach consumers who are increasingly fickle and bombarded by an ever-growing flood of online information."
