As the new GDPR guidelines make it more difficult for companies to make such effective use of online marketing channels, Crumlin-based digital print specialists Lexon predict that many businesses will revert to direct marketing and door drops as a solution.

The company has produced its own booklet detailing exactly what the new guidelines mean and the opportunities they actually create for the print sector.

Lexon commercial director Dominic Hartley said: “Under GDPR, companies can still contact people via post, as long as they can create a reasonable argument for legitimate interest.

"An example could be if people have purchased from them before or previously expressed an interest in their services. So, we expect to see a significant increase in sales for flyers and leaflets when GDPR becomes effective.

"We have also already seen a spike in orders for door drop mailers as this marketing method doesn’t require any data handling.

“In a study by Royal Mail, 92 per cent of people who received direct mail were driven to online activity, 87 per cent were influenced to make online purchases, and 54 per cent engaged on social media.

“We will ensure that any company who comes to us for a direct mail service has had their data Mailing Preference Service cleansed and it enables people who don’t want to receive unsolicited mail to have their names and addresses removed from marketing lists – we see some great commercial opportunities ahead."