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optilyz Direct Mail Automation Awards 2026: Cross Channel Champion – Congratulations, Thalia!

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Perfect harmony between digital and physical channels: How Thalia successfully reactivates inactive customers with a multi-stage cross-channel winback flow powered by Braze.

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Our annual awards celebrate outstanding direct mail campaigns that stand out through exceptional concepts, excellent execution, or strong performance metrics. In the "Cross Channel Champion" category, we focus on the seamless interplay between digital triggers and physical mail in the mailbox. This year, the award goes to a true pioneer in modern omnichannel retail: Thalia.

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Who is Thalia?

Thalia is the leading general-interest bookseller in the German-speaking region. Offering a comprehensive portfolio ranging from books and eReaders (tolino) to toys and lifestyle products, Thalia seamlessly connects physical bookstores with a modern e-commerce ecosystem. Since June 2021, the company has relied on the optilyz platform to deliver highly relevant and personalized customer communications across all touchpoints.

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What defines the "Cross Channel Champion" Award?

The "Cross Channel Champion" Award honors companies that do not view digital channels and printed mailings in isolation, but intelligently connect them. It recognizes campaigns where physical touchpoints are embedded as an automated module into existing marketing automation systems (such as Braze) to maximize the impact of the entire customer journey.

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Why Thalia Won

Thalia convinced the jury with a flawlessly structured winback flow. By combining digital emails with a targeted print mailing, Thalia achieved an outstanding reactivation rate and a measurable uplift compared to the control group. The key success factors:

• Multi-Stage Cross-Channel Flow: The winback journey combines two automated emails followed by a targeted print mailing featuring a personalized 20% coupon (integrated via Talon.One).
• Seamless Braze Integration: Connecting directly with Braze enables flexible testing and optimization of different formats and layouts (e.g., postcard vs. letter).
• High Relevance Across 5 Audience Variants: Five segment-based variants are implemented (Crime & Thriller, Novels, New Adult, Toys, and General). Personalized product recommendations ensure the mailing perfectly matched individual customer preferences.
• The "Fridge Effect": The physical mailing creates long-lasting visibility in the customer's home - precisely where purely digital emails in an inbox often get lost.

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The impressive metrics of the nominated mailing demonstrate the power of this smart cross-channel strategy:

• Conversion Rate: 4.5%
• ROI (Return on Investment): 2.87
• AOV (Average Order Value): €31.16

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Thalia impressively demonstrates how modern channel orchestration and data-driven segmentation, combined with physical print, drive real value and measurable growth. Warmest congratulations to the entire team on winning the Cross Channel Champion Award!

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Want to integrate direct mail automation into your existing marketing infrastructure? Let’s explore together what is possible for your business. Book your meeting here.