Leaflet Eye Tracking: How People Read Door Drops
What leaflet eye tracking research shows about how people look at a leaflet on the doormat, and how to design yours so the right things get seen.
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The research
Royal Mail’s Mail Media Centre commissioned eye tracking specialists eyetracker to study how people deal with mail and door drops at home. People were filmed with mobile eye tracking as they picked up post from their doormat, sorted it and opened it, and screen based eye tracking measured exactly where they looked in the first few seconds.
The study is from 2010, but the way eyes move across a printed page has not changed, and its findings still shape how good door drops are designed. More recent JICMAIL data shows a door drop gets 57 seconds of attention on average, so those first few seconds decide whether yours gets read.
What the research shows
- Eyes start centre leftPeople do not start reading at the top left corner. Their eyes land centre left first, then move up and to the right.
- The front does the workIn the study, the front of mail items got around six times as many looks as the inside. If an offer is inside, say so on the front.
- Tops beat bottomsThe top half gets more attention than the bottom. Big, bold elements at the bottom can pull the eye down, so use them on purpose.
- Brand first builds trustPeople read on when they trust the sender. Putting your brand above the main image or offer helps them decide to keep reading.
- Pictures and coupons draw the eyeImages, samples and coupons attracted strong attention, and coupons placed towards the right were noticed more.
- Make tear offs easyCoupons with perforations on no more than two sides were easier to use, so more were kept.
Source: Mail Media Centre, “Through the letterbox” eye tracking study by eyetracker, 2010. JICMAIL, door drops, Q1 2026.
How to design a leaflet people actually see
- Put the offer centre leftYour main image or offer goes where the eye lands first, with your brand just above it.
- One clear headlineSay what you want people to do in a few words, big enough to read from standing height.
- Lead with the frontTreat the front as the whole ad. Use the back for detail, terms and the map to your store.
- Use a strong imageA clear photo of the product, food or result does more than a block of text.
- Make the next step obviousA QR code, phone number or web address near the offer, not hidden at the bottom.
- Keep the bottom for supportLogos, terms and small print belong at the bottom, unless you want to pull the eye down to a coupon.
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Free artwork check
Upload your leaflet and we will check it against the eye tracking research, suggest tweaks that tend to lift response, and send you a price to print and deliver it. Want a bespoke eye tracking test on your design? Choose that option and we will arrange it with a specialist.
- We check it is print ready, with the right size, bleed and colours
- We suggest simple tweaks that tend to lift response
- You get a price to print it, deliver it, or both
- A real person replies within one working day
Eye tracking and leaflet design FAQs
What is eye tracking in marketing?
Eye tracking records exactly where people look, in what order and for how long. For leaflets, it shows which parts of the design get noticed in the first few seconds and which get missed.
Where do people look first on a leaflet?
Eye tracking research for Royal Mail found people look centre left first, then move up and to the right, rather than starting at the top left corner like a book.
Does the front or back of a leaflet matter more?
The front. In the research, the front of mail items got around six times as many looks as the inside, so your offer and brand need to be on the front.
Do you offer eye tracking tests?
We use the published eye tracking research to guide design and check artwork, and we measure real campaigns with control groups. If you want a bespoke eye tracking study on your own leaflet, we can arrange it with a specialist.
How long do people look at a door drop?
JICMAIL data for the first quarter of 2026 shows a door drop gets 57 seconds of attention on average, and is interacted with 3.0 times while it is kept in the home.
Get your leaflet seen
Send us your artwork or your idea. We will check it against the research, print it and deliver it to the homes most likely to respond.
Get in touch
Looking for more information? Simply get in touch with one of our friendly office staff who are always on hand to help.
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