What People Actually Do When They Receive a Flyer

When a flyer lands at someone’s home, the reaction is rarely dramatic. There is no instant click or loud response. Instead, the interaction is quiet and practical. People glance, assess, and decide whether the flyer feels relevant to their lives. This moment is short, but it carries more weight than many businesses realize.

Here at Flyer Canada, we’ve studied this behaviour across thousands of campaigns. What people actually do with flyers follows a pattern, and understanding that pattern explains why flyer marketing continues to deliver steady results.

People assess relevance first

The first thing most people do is decide whether the flyer applies to them. This happens almost immediately. They look for clues like the type of service, the location, and whether the message feels local.

If the flyer feels irrelevant, it’s discarded quickly. If it feels applicable, it earns a few more seconds of attention. That brief pause is critical. It’s where awareness begins.

This relevance-driven behaviour is a key reason our campaigns maintain an average conversion rate of 4.4%, compared to the 1.41% industry average and just 0.12% for digital ads.

For more on relevance, see What Makes a Flyer Feel Local And Why That Drives Response.

People rarely act immediately

Most flyer interactions do not result in instant action. Instead, people absorb the information and move on. The flyer has done its job by introducing the business and planting familiarity.

Action often comes later, when a need arises or timing feels right. This delayed response is one of the most misunderstood aspects of flyer marketing.

You can see how this delayed influence works here How Flyers Influence Decisions Without Immediate Action.

People remember names more than details

After the initial glance, people tend to remember the business name and service category, not the specifics. They may forget the offer or design, but the name becomes familiar.

This familiarity matters later. When someone needs the service, the remembered name feels safer than an unfamiliar option discovered through search.

This is one reason flyers continue to influence decisions even when people say they didn’t really read them.

For insight into this behaviour, explore Why Flyers Work Even When People Say They Don’t Read Them.

People keep flyers that feel useful

Not all flyers are thrown away. When a flyer represents a service people know they will need eventually, it often gets set aside. It might end up on a counter, in a drawer, or pinned somewhere visible.

This quiet keeping extends the life of the flyer and creates multiple exposure points without additional cost. Over time, this contributes to ROI between 3× and 29× across strong campaigns.

For a closer look at what drives this behaviour, see
What Makes a Flyer Feel Worth Keeping.

People trust flyers more than they admit

Many people say they ignore flyers, yet their behaviour suggests otherwise. Flyers feel grounded and local. They don’t rely on pop-ups or tracking. That physical presence makes them feel more credible.

This trust is subtle but powerful. It helps explain why flyer marketing reduces customer acquisition costs by an average of 51.8%. When trust exists, fewer interactions are needed to convert interest into action.

If trust is your focus, this article breaks it down The Role of Trust in Local Flyer Marketing.

People often follow up online

A common next step after receiving a flyer is not a phone call, but a search. People look up the business name later when curiosity turns into intent.

This offline introduction followed by online confirmation produces higher-quality engagement. People are choosing to engage, not reacting impulsively.

You can see how this flow works here Offline to Online How Flyers Drive Website Traffic and Online Bookings.

What this behaviour means for businesses

When businesses understand what people actually do with flyers, expectations shift. Success is not defined by immediate response alone. It’s defined by familiarity, trust, and eventual action.

Here at Flyer Canada, we design campaigns around this real behaviour. As Canada’s Largest Flyer Delivery Company, working with over 10,000 businesses nationwide, we focus on relevance, consistency, and timing.

Final thoughts

People don’t treat flyers like ads they must respond to immediately. They treat them like information they may need later. Flyers work because they fit naturally into that decision process.

With an average conversion rate of 4.4%, 51.8% lower customer acquisition costs, and ROI ranging from 3× to 29×, flyer marketing continues to deliver meaningful results when aligned with real human behaviour.

If you want to design flyer campaigns that match how people actually decide, reach out through our contact page, visit our store, or call 437 524 5287.