PostPilot
PostPilot is a direct mail marketing automation platform that allows ecommerce brands to send personalized postcards and catalogs as easily as sending an email to increase customer retention.
The Trade Desk
The Trade Desk is an omni-channel advertising platform that provides media buyers with data-driven tools to purchase and optimize digital advertising campaigns across display, video, audio, and social.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | PostPilot | The Trade Desk |
|---|---|---|
| Website | postpilot.com | thetradedesk.com |
| Pricing Model | Freemium | Custom |
| Starting Price | Free | Custom Pricing |
| FREE Trial | ✘ No free trial | ✘ No free trial |
| Free Plan | ✓ Has free plan | ✘ No free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2018 | 2009 |
| Headquarters | Spartanburg, USA | Ventura, USA |
Overview
PostPilot
PostPilot is a direct mail automation platform built specifically for ecommerce brands that want to reach customers physically. You can create, launch, and track postcard or catalog campaigns directly from your dashboard, treating direct mail with the same speed and data-driven precision as your email marketing. By connecting your store, you can trigger physical mail based on real-time customer behavior like abandoned carts or second-purchase reminders.
You can design your own mailers using a simple drag-and-drop editor or lean on their professional design services to handle the creative work for you. The platform eliminates the traditional headaches of direct mail like minimum order quantities and long lead times. It helps you cut through the digital noise of crowded inboxes by landing a tangible, personalized message directly in your customers' mailboxes to drive higher lifetime value.
The Trade Desk
The Trade Desk is a media-buying platform designed to help you manage digital advertising campaigns across the entire open internet. Instead of being locked into a single ecosystem, you can reach audiences through display, video, audio, and connected TV. You can use your own data or tap into third-party insights to find the right customers at the right moment.
You can manage your entire ad spend from a single interface, using automated bidding to ensure you get the best value for every impression. The platform is built for scale, making it a go-to choice for large agencies and global brands that need to coordinate complex, multi-channel strategies while maintaining full transparency over where their ads appear and how they perform.
Overview
PostPilot Features
- Behavioral Triggers Automatically send postcards when customers abandon a cart, make a first purchase, or reach a specific spending milestone.
- Drag-and-Drop Editor Create beautiful, branded postcards and catalogs in minutes using an intuitive design interface built for non-designers.
- Real-Time Tracking Monitor your campaign performance with automatic ROI tracking that matches mail deliveries to actual store purchases.
- Smart Segmenting Target specific customer groups by filtering your audience based on purchase history, location, or total lifetime value.
- Concierge Design Access professional designers who create custom, high-converting mailer layouts for your brand at no extra cost.
- No Minimums Send a single postcard or thousands at once without worrying about the restrictive minimums of traditional print shops.
The Trade Desk Features
- Omnichannel Buying. Manage your campaigns across connected TV, mobile, video, audio, and social media from one centralized dashboard.
- Koa AI Optimization. Use predictive AI to analyze data in real-time and automatically improve your campaign performance and bidding efficiency.
- Planner Tool. Build data-driven media plans by identifying high-value audience segments and forecasting reach before you spend a dollar.
- Data Management Platform. Upload your first-party data to create lookalike audiences and target your most profitable customer profiles accurately.
- Connected TV (CTV). Access premium streaming inventory and apply digital targeting precision to the biggest screen in the house.
- Identity Alliance. Navigate the cookieless future with advanced identity solutions that help you track and reach users across multiple devices.
Pricing Comparison
PostPilot Pricing
- No monthly fee
- Standard postcard pricing
- Basic segmenting tools
- Self-service design editor
- Email support
- Everything in Free, plus:
- Lower per-piece mailing rates
- Automated lifecycle campaigns
- Concierge design services
- Advanced ROI reporting
- Priority support
The Trade Desk Pricing
Pros & Cons
PostPilot
Pros
- Seamless integration with Shopify and Klaviyo
- High-quality print and card stock
- Excellent concierge design team support
- Easy to track actual ROI from mailings
- No minimum order requirements for campaigns
Cons
- Monthly subscription fees are relatively high
- International shipping options are more limited
- Learning curve for complex segment logic
The Trade Desk
Pros
- Unmatched access to premium global advertising inventory
- Granular reporting provides total transparency on spend
- Powerful AI tools automate complex bidding tasks
- Excellent customer support for enterprise-level accounts
Cons
- High minimum spend requirements for smaller brands
- Steep learning curve for new media buyers
- Interface can feel overwhelming due to many features