Matching anonymous website visitors to physical mailing addresses – how it’s done
What If You Could Send Mail to Website Visitors? Now You Can.
It is possible to match anonymous website visitors to physical mailing addresses and it's being done by a growing number of offline retargeting or direct mail automation services. Here's how it works—and what makes it both technically viable and legally sensitive
🔍 How Matching Anonymous Website Visitors to Physical Addresses Works
1. IP Address Capture
When someone visits your website, your site (via JavaScript snippet or tracking pixel) captures their IP address.
- The IP address can often be correlated to a household or business-level location.
- ISPs assign IPs in geographic blocks, and consumer-level IPs can often be narrowed down to within a neighborhood or single home.
2. Data Partner Matching
The real magic happens via third-party data providers who maintain massive databases linking:
- IP addresses
- To household addresses
- Using past behavior, subscription data, public records, cookies, and more
These partners have permission-based databases built from people who’ve opted into offers, rewards programs, online orders, etc., linking digital footprints to physical identity.
3. Match Confidence Scoring
The data provider returns a “match confidence score”. If it’s above a certain threshold (say 95%), the service will:
- Send a triggered direct mail piece (like a postcard or catalog)
- To the matched physical address
- Often within 24–48 hours of the website visit
4. Privacy-Compliant Direct Mail
The mail is sent without the visitor ever filling out a form or explicitly opting in—though companies justify this under the umbrella of "legitimate interest" or pre-existing data relationships, depending on the legal jurisdiction.
✅ Is It Legal?
In the U.S., yes—but with caveats:
- There's no federal privacy law as strict as the EU’s GDPR or California's CCPA.
- However, CCPA requires consumers to be notified and given the chance to opt out if personal data is being sold or shared.
These services often rely on pre-permissioned data sources and use fuzzy match logic. For example, they may say:
“This household was interested in X and visited our site—send them a mailer.”
They don’t always identify exact names — just the address.
⚖️ Pros and Cons
✅ Pros:
- No email or phone number required
- Fast delivery (same week as visit)
- Higher open rates than email (postcards are hard to ignore)
- Great for high-ticket or local offers (e.g., real estate, home services, luxury products)
❌ Cons:
- May feel creepy to consumers
- Can be expensive (often \$0.50–\$1.50 per piece)
- Accuracy isn't perfect (some false positives)
🔒 What You Need to Implement It
- Add a script to your website (like a pixel or JS tag)
- Work with a provider who has a large IP-to-household database
- Define your target audience and creative assets
- Ensure you're following privacy regulations and offer opt-outs
🚀 Use Cases
- Car dealerships: Send brochures to visitors who viewed a vehicle page
- Home improvement: Mail coupons to households that browsed your service page
- E-commerce brands: Retarget cart abandoners with physical offers
- Real estate: Send listings to visitors of property pages