Leaflet alternatives
Looking for an alternative to leaflets?
Leaflets are cheap to start and hard to measure. You pay to print them, you pay to push them through doors, and most land in the bin without being read. If you want your name in front of local customers without paying for distribution, advertising on takeaway packaging is one alternative worth comparing.
Why leaflets often disappoint
A leaflet has two costs before anyone reads a word: printing, and getting it to people. Delivery is the part that is easy to underestimate, whether you pay a distributor or spend your own time.
The bigger problem is that you rarely learn what worked. A leaflet with no code or link on it gives you no way to tell a good street from a bad one.
On the table, not the doormat.
A leaflet lands with the post and the menus. A packaging advert arrives with the meal, sits on the table while people eat, and comes from a shop they chose themselves.
What to look for in an alternative
- It reaches people at home or on the move, not just in a feed they scroll past.
- You can choose the area, so you are not paying to reach people too far away to visit you.
- You can see a response, such as scans of a QR code or uses of a promo code.
- You do not pay separately for distribution.
How advertising on takeaway packaging works
You pay for a print run of pizza boxes, coffee cups or takeaway bags with your advert on them. Local shops use that packaging with their normal orders and hand it to every customer. Because the shops need the packaging anyway, there is no leaflet round to pay for.
TradePack plans the campaign, helps with the design, matches your advert with suitable shops in your area, and prints and delivers the packaging. Nothing is printed until you and the shops have agreed.
When leaflets still make sense
Leaflets can work for a very small area, such as a few streets around a new shop, or for an event happening this weekend. If you only need to reach the doors within a short walk, a leaflet round can be the simplest option.
Packaging suits businesses that want to reach customers across a wider area, keep an advert in front of people for a few weeks, and track the response.
Leaflets and packaging ads, side by side
| Feature | Leaflets | Packaging ads |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay for | Printing and delivery | A print run of packaging shops use anyway |
| Where it is seen | On the doormat, briefly | On the box, cup or bag, at home or on the move |
| Choosing the area | By street, if you deliver yourself | By postcode, town or city, agreed before printing |
| Seeing a response | Only if you add a code or link | QR code or promo code on the pack |
| Changing the offer | Reprint the leaflet | Point the QR code at a page you control |
| What happens after | Often thrown away | Used with the order, then seen again at home |
Questions people ask.
What is a good alternative to leaflets?
It depends on your goal. For a local business, good alternatives include a complete Google Business Profile, local social media groups, partnerships with nearby businesses, and advertising on packaging that local shops hand to customers. Packaging ads are the one that avoids a separate distribution cost.
Are packaging ads better than leaflets?
Not always, and we do not promise results. They suit a wider area and a campaign that runs for a few weeks. Because you can add a QR code or promo code, you can see how many people respond and compare it with what you got from leaflets.
Do I still have to pay for delivery?
TradePack delivers the printed packaging to the shops as part of the campaign, so you do not run a leaflet round. The cost depends on the packaging, the quantity and the print, and we come back with options once you tell us what you have in mind.
Can I choose where my advert appears?
Yes. You choose the areas and the type of packaging. We put forward shops that fit and agree the list with you before anything is printed.
Can I test it with a small area first?
Yes. A campaign can cover a few postcodes around your business. Tell us the area and roughly how many people you want to reach, and we plan around it.