The Digital Fade

Submitted: Two Sides North America July 20, 2026

Originally published in The Page_ Spring 2026 edition
By Paul Bobnak

Consumer tolerance for digital messaging is shrinking. According to a February 2025 survey by the Harris Poll for Quad, 81% of Gen Z adults and 78% of millennials often wish they could disconnect from digital devices more easily.

The Two Sides Trend Tracker 2025, a comprehensive global survey investigating consumer attitudes toward paper-based products, mirrors these findings. For example, 55% of U.S. consumers said that they “don’t pay attention to most online marketing advertisements”; for Canada, the figure was 60%.

The survey also showed that personalization in print is valued similarly by consumers in the U.S. and Canada. 35% of Canadian consumers agreed that they “are more likely to act when marketing materials are personalized to their needs and consumption habits. That figure rose to 41% for U.S. respondents.

Digital fatigue and continued affinity for offline channels like mail is one factor causing marketers to shift their spending. In Lob’s State of Direct Mail: Business Insights 2026 Report, 90% of marketing leaders say that the direct mail share of their marketing budgets increased this year. Instead of a legacy channel, mail is evolving into a measurable, data-driven tactic. 74% of marketers now use AI to help create personalized messaging in their mail campaigns.

USPS ADDS 1% SUSTAINABILITY DISCOUNT

While the Two Sides Trend Tracker shows increased awareness of paper’s role in a circular economy, work remains to help lessen mail’s environmental impact. To that end, in 2026, the U.S. Postal Service is offering a 1% discount to mailers who demonstrate that the paper used in their mail pieces is responsibly sourced and sustainably produced by showing an eligible certification.

Although it can only be used when stacked with another promotional discount, the Sustainability Add-On can help mailers achieve substantial savings on postage, as well as build awareness of paper’s value as a sustainable option to both eco-conscious consumers and marketers selecting paper for their campaigns

About Two Sides North America

Two Sides North America (TSNA) is a member-supported non-profit advocacy organization for the graphic communications, paper, and paper-based packaging industries. Two Sides North America works to dispel common environmental misconceptions and to inspire and inform businesses and consumers with engaging, factual information about the environmental sustainability and value of print, paper, and paper-based packaging. They are the only group that works to dispel and pursue the removal of Greenwashing language used by companies and organizations in North America.

To learn more about Two Sides North America and how to become a member, please visit twosidesna.org.

Share this story