Postal Strategy
Blog Tag
To the USPS: Focus on Mail Volume Growth, Not Postage Rate Increases
After the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) released its 10-year strategic plan, Delivering for America, I shared my thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of the plan. Two of my largest concerns were the limited focus on growing mail volume and the plan’s reliance on price increases to drive financial stability. Since the plan was released, the USPS has proposed the largest postage rate increase in 15 years.
USPS Promotions are Becoming More Important Than Ever
With a significant postage rate increase on the horizon, the postage discounts that can be earned from participating in USPS promotions have become increasingly important to many marketers. As an added bonus, these promotions encourage marketing techniques that can make the direct mail portion of multichannel campaigns more relevant and engaging for the recipients, driving higher response and greater return on marketing investment (ROMI). Here are some key details and dates for the more popular mailing promotions:
IWCO Direct’s Postal Optimization Strategies Can Help You Offset the 2021 Postage Rate Increase
The U.S. Postal Service—despite its promise to “apply judicious and prudent strategies” in the use of additional rate authority it recently acquired from the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC)— has proposed a postage rate increase averaging 6.8% for First-Class and Marketing Mail, which if approved will take effect August 29. This represents the full amount of […]
Breaking Down the USPS Strategic Plan – Areas of Support and Concern
Last week, the U.S. Postal Service released its long-awaited 10-Year Strategic Plan. The plan, entitled Delivering for America, outlines how the Postal Service proposes to achieve financial stability over the next ten years. As with any plan of this scope and scale, there are aspects many postal stakeholders can support and other aspects that may cause stakeholders concern.
2021 Promises to be an Active Year in Postal Affairs
When I last wrote about what was happening with the Postal Service, the agency was in the midst of an overwhelming holiday peak season, during which a COVID-driven drop in employee availability combined with record parcel volume had resulted in extreme delivery challenges in several parts of the country.
2020 Year-End Postal Issues Update
As one of the most challenging years in recent memory draws to a close, we wanted our final postal issues update of the year to reflect on what has been a bumpy year for the U.S. Postal Service and take a look at what may be ahead in the coming year.
Postal Service Announces 2021 Postage Rates and Promotions
The postal team at IWCO Direct has been fielding lots of questions about what’s happening with the U.S. Postal Service. As we discuss below, the Postal Service continues to deliver for the American public despite the challenges we all have been facing this year. One of the most frequent questions we receive in the fall […]
Direct Mail Advice for Marketers Planning Fall Mailings
On Wednesday, we took a high-level look at concerns about operational changes that are happening at the U.S. Postal Service and have been a prominent part of recent news cycles. Today, we’re offering direct mail advice to marketers on what they need to understand about working with the Postal Service while planning their fall direct […]
Advice for the New Postmaster General
On Monday, Louis DeJoy became the 75th Postmaster General (PMG), succeeding Megan Brennan. We thank Ms. Brennan for her leadership and many years of service to the broader postal community as she makes her transition into a well-deserved retirement. Mr. DeJoy is the first PMG in nearly 20 years to come from outside the […]
Optimism for the U.S. Postal Service in the Age of COVID-19
If you’ve been paying attention to postal headlines in the past week or two, no one would blame you for thinking the U.S. Postal Service is on life support. Many customers and business partners have been asking us about the health and well-being of the Postal Service. (Even my millennial colleagues are reporting seeing the […]
