Key takeaway: A national men’s grooming brand’s Valpak direct mail campaign generated more than $450,000 in incremental sales and a 3.03X incremental return on ad spend (iROAS), according to an independent test-vs-control study by ABCS Insights. Households that received the mailing spent 4.69% more on the brand than a matched control group, beating the shaving category norm on every metric measured.
Shaving is a habit category. People buy the razor they bought last time, usually on the same grocery or drugstore run, and a few points of lift is hard to come by. This campaign moved the needle on all five purchase metrics ABCS tracks, and every one landed above the category benchmark.
Men’s Grooming Campaign Results at a Glance
| Metric | Result |
| Incremental ROAS | 3.03X ($3.03 in sales per $1 invested) |
| Incremental sales | More than $450,000 |
| Incremental purchases | 36,590 |
| Average sales per household | +4.69% vs. control (1.4X the shaving category norm of 3.45%) |
| Household penetration | +2.52% vs. control (category norm: 2.14%) |
| Sales per buyer | +2.12% vs. control (category norm: 1.31%) |
| Purchase occasions | +1.08% vs. control (category norm: 0.85%) |
| Sales per buying occasion | +1.03% vs. control (category norm: 0.46%) |
| Households reached | 25 million, one drop (frequency of 1) |
| Campaign length | About four weeks, fall 2025 |
How Was the Lift Measured?
ABCS Insights compared households that received the mailing with a matched control group that didn’t. The groups were balanced on a full year of pre-campaign category purchases, plus age, gender, household income and geography, so the difference between them reflects the mailing rather than existing brand loyalty.
Purchases were tracked through a receipt panel of 737,432 households, across all retail outlets rather than only the brand’s own channels. That matters for a brand sold on store shelves: the study captured the mailing’s effect on retail sales, not just coupon redemptions. The campaign ran about four weeks, and measurement continued roughly four weeks past its end.
Return on ad spend was calculated against total campaign investment.
Above the Category Norm on Every Metric
Average sales per household rose 4.69%, about 1.4X the shaving category norm of 3.45%, and the result was significant at 99% confidence. The biggest driver was new households: household penetration rose 2.52%, ahead of the 2.14% norm, which ABCS describes as a broadened consumer base.
The smaller metrics held up too. Buyers made slightly more purchases (+1.08%), spent slightly more per trip (+1.03%) and spent more overall (+2.12%), each above its category benchmark. None of these is a dramatic number on its own. Together, they show a campaign that brought in new buyers while existing buyers spent a little more, not less.
What’s the Difference Between ROAS and Incremental ROAS?
This study is a clear example of why the distinction matters. Households reached by the campaign bought more than $10 million worth of the brand during the measurement window. Divide that by campaign spend and you get a 67.66X return on ad spend. It’s a real number, but it includes every shopper who would have bought those razors anyway.
Incremental ROAS strips that baseline out by comparing exposed households with a matched control group. Here, the campaign caused $450,148 of those sales, for a 3.03X iROAS. That’s the number to plan budgets around, and it’s the one we report in every case study.
Why Does Direct Mail Work for Personal Care Brands?
Valpak households spend:
- 19% more on personal care products
- 17% more on shaving needs
- 17% more across all retail categories
Valpak coupon users are also:
- 65% more likely to say they regularly treat themselves to retail therapy
- 31% more likely to want to buy products that make them feel attractive
- 18% more likely to want to improve their appearance
Razors and shave gel get bought on routine trips, often from a list made at home. A mailed offer reaches the household where that list gets written, before the shopper is standing in the aisle facing every competing brand. And unlike a digital ad, it stays on the counter until the next store run.
What CPG Marketers Can Take from This
- Judge lift against your own category. A 4.69% sales lift looks modest next to a restaurant or specialty retail result. In shaving, it beats the norm by about 1.4X. Category benchmarks are the only fair yardstick.
- Ask which ROAS you’re looking at. The gap between 67.66X and 3.03X in this study is the gap between shoppers a campaign reached and shoppers it moved. Plan on incremental.
- Count sales wherever they happen. Measuring across all retail outlets showed the mailing’s effect on shelf sales, which is where most of a CPG brand’s revenue lives.
Frequently Asked Questions
What return on ad spend did the men’s grooming brand get from Valpak?
The brand earned a 3.03X incremental ROAS, or $3.03 in incremental sales for every $1 invested, from a single Valpak direct mail drop in fall 2025, measured by ABCS Insights.
What is the difference between ROAS and incremental ROAS?
ROAS counts all sales from households a campaign reached, including people who would have bought anyway. Incremental ROAS counts only the sales the campaign caused, measured against a matched control group. In this study, reached households bought more than $10 million of the brand, but $450,148 of that was incremental.
How was the campaign measured?
ABCS Insights compared households that received the mailing with a matched control group, balanced on a year of pre-campaign category purchases and demographics. Purchases across all retail outlets were tracked through a receipt panel of 737,432 households for about four weeks past the campaign’s end.
What is a good sales lift for a shaving or personal care campaign?
In this ABCS Insights study, the shaving category norm for average sales per household was 3.45%. The campaign delivered a 4.69% lift, about 1.4X the norm, and beat the category norm on every purchase metric measured.
Does direct mail work for consumer packaged goods brands?
In this study, a national men’s grooming brand grew household penetration by 2.52% and average sales per household by 4.69% versus a matched control group, returning $3.03 in incremental sales for every $1 invested.
Can a single direct mail drop drive retail sales?
Yes. Households in this study received the mailing once on average, and the campaign still produced 36,590 incremental purchases across all retail outlets.
Sources
- ABCS Insights, Valpak Men’s Grooming Brand Sales Effect Report (Sept. 2026). Test vs. matched control, matched on 12 months of pre-period category sales and demographics. Four-week fall 2025 campaign; measured approximately four weeks past campaign end. 25M households reached; frequency 1.0. N=737,432 households (receipt panel, all outlets). Norms: ABCS Shaving Needs. Average sales per household lift significant at 99% confidence.
- Claritas data with current year projections, October 2026
- 2026 AudienceSCAN® study of U.S. online adults 18+, SalesFuel, Inc.
