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Posts Tagged ‘USPS sale’

USPS dilemma

Posted on September 19, 2011

On September 6, 2011, Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe testified before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs concerning the USPS dire financial dilemma.  He laid out what is needed from Congress to keep the USPS from default. It seems the Senate panel got the message and understood the need for immediate action. Something the mailing industry has known for years. My concern is what we will finally see from Congress knowing there will be winners and losers.

Will Congress have the fortitude to do what is right or give in to special interests groups which will only temporiarly delay default? 

What do you think?

Don’t Look a QR Gift in the Mouth

Posted on June 15, 2011

For whatever reason, the USPS is offering you a 3% discount on your postage over the next two months for simply applying a QR code (mobile barcode) somewhere in your catalog. Huh? For all the reasons they should offer incentives, promotions, etc, I have to tell you, QR codes were not high on my list. But take it and run with it and don’t ask questions. You now have been given more than a postage discount. Now is the perfect opportunity for you to gauge the tech savvy of your customers and prospects, and also to understand how badly they want to be with you. All the technology in the world is meaningless unless your customers embrace it and tell you they want it.

First, let’s get the technical garb out of the way. QR codes have been around for sometime and I’m sure most of you have seen them in magazines, newspapers, billboards, POS, retail stores, etc., enticing you to scan the codes for something more – whatever they want more to be. The codes themselves are easy to build. There are 33 million do-it-yourself websites instructing you how to build them. You can get very creative in the design of them and have them embrace your brand. If that doesn’t do it for you, then let us help! You can contact us to either walk you through the steps or we may even be able to create them for you. However you choose, the technical barriers to creation are so low that my dog Alex produced one for his collar that directs the person who finds him to the nearest Starbucks.

The real issue here is what you want that simple QR code to do for you, and more importantly for your customer. DO NOT take the easy way out by creating this code to steer people to your website. This is a waste of time for them and produces nothing of value for either of you. Don’t you think they can or already have gone to your website if they wanted to? So this code is supposed to save them the time of typing it in…….? Come on – you’re better than that. Here is where direct marketing basics come back to life. The opportunity to engage with your customers is prime and you have an exceptional opportunity to truly add value to your relationship.

WHAT IF the QR code directed people to….?

  • Your loyalty program to learn all the benefits of joining your program?
  • A YouTube video describing the features and benefits of one of your best-selling products?
  • A video on how to apply that perfect anti-aging cream?
  • An offer too good to be passed up, like 40% off plus free shipping? (Think JoS. A. Bank)
  • A recipe that includes one of your best-selling spices?
  • The perfect gift sampler of meats to send to your Dad or better yet…me?
  • Your Facebook page and encouraged them to “Like” ( I still have a hard time with this one) you and by doing so, they would receive an instant discount?
  • A list of reasons as to what differentiates your products and services and why they should buy from you?
  • A survey and upon completion of it they are awarded a significant discount?
  • A listing of your retail stores in their area?
  • An instant coupon that they could take to their local retail store for a discount?

What if…….

My time is up here. But the message here is to use the code to engage your customers and measure the results. From this “gift” you may truly learn more about your customers, and make some money as well….and really isn’t that what direct marketing is all about?

Again use this gift for all it’s worth because you may not have a second chance……….

Call us we’re here to assist.

Gary Sierzchulski
VP, Arandell Marketing Solutions
866-834-5611

Click or scan the code below to send me a message.

PRC Approves USPS 2011 Mobile Barcode Promotion

Posted on May 18, 2011

We love to be the bearer of great news and today we’ve got it! We know you all want to hear about opportunities to save…and the post office is giving you a great opportunity to do that this summer. On May 17, 2011, the PRC approved a USPS proposal to host a Mobile Barcode Promotion in July and August of this year.

What is the USPS Mobile Barcode Promotion?

The goal of the USPS Mobile Barcode Promotion is to build awareness of mobile technology and to demonstrate how mailers can leverage mobile barcodes to increase their ROI on direct mail. The promotion provides business mailers with an upfront 3% discount on Standard and First-Class mail letters and flats that include a two-dimensional (2D) barcode and that can be read and scanned by a smartphone.

The USPS promotion will run from July 1, 2011 through August 31, 2011. All companies who use a permit imprint are eligible to participate and there is no pre-registration required. For this particular promotion, the postal discount is applied immediately (as opposed to previous promotions that required you to submit paperwork to get a “rebate” on your mailings). The mobile barcode discount will be calculated in PostalOne! and applied to the mailing statement at the time of mailing.

USPS Mobile Barcode Promotion Requirements

All of the following must apply in order for you to use a mobile barcode on your mailpiece:

  • All mailpieces in the mailing must include a mobile two-dimensional barcode on the face of the mailpiece or within the mailpiece.
  • The mobile barcode must be used for marketing purposes (for use by the mail recipient).
  • Standard and First-Class Mail letters and flats must be sent with postage paid using a permit imprint and submitted electronically using Postal Wizard, Mail.dat or Mail.XML to qualify for the discount. (Mailings submitted via postal Wizard cannot exceed 9,999 pieces.)
  • The Mobile Barcode Promotion must be affirmatively claimed on the “Incentive Claimed” line in the certification section of the postage statement.
  • Mail must be tendered for acceptance during the promotion period, July 1, 2011 through August 31, 2011.

For your convenience, The USPS has published a Mobile Barcode Promotion Frequently Asked Questions document. It contains general information about the promotion, along with regulations and eligibility requirements. (Note: The original FAQ document indicates that non-profit organizations are not eligible to participate in the mobile barcode promotion but that has changed since the document was published. Non-profits ARE indeed eligible to participate.)

Why wait? You’ve got nothing to lose. The USPS Mobile Barcode Promotion gives direct mailers the perfect opportunity to test the marketing potential of mobile barcodes. The low cost of entry, combined with the summer discount being offered by the USPS makes this the most optimal time for you to speak with us about how you can integrate a mobile barcode into your printed catalog today!

For additional information, Email our postal experts, contact us at 866-675-4054 or scan/click this QR code:

USPS 2010 Summer Sale & 5-Day Delivery Website Address

Posted on April 05, 2010

 

Susan Pinter, Director of Postal Systems

The USPS recently made the following announcements regarding the 2010 Summer Sale and a newly-launched website regarding 5-Day Delivery.

 

 

2010 USPS Summer Sale 

The USPS has announced the 2010 Standard Mail Summer Sale Program. To be eligible to participate in the 2010 event, a company must have mailed 350,000 or more Standard Mail letters and flats between July 1 and September 30, 2009 through Permit Accounts owned by the customer or through ghost permits. The sale offers eligible companies a 30% postage rebate for a predetermined volume threshold mailed between July 1 and September 30, 2010.

 

Additional information about the Summer Sale Program is available at

www.usps.com/summersale.

 

 

5-Day Delivery Website Address

 

The USPS has launched a website on usps.com to provide information to all customers about its proposal to implement a five-day street delivery schedule. The Postal Service proposes to end regular Saturday mail delivery to street addresses as part of a comprehensive plan to ensure that it can continue to deliver affordable service to the American people. Post Offices will remain open on Saturdays.

 

The website has a planning guide for businesses and household customers, as well as answers to frequently asked questions.

 

The site is live and can be visited at http://www.usps.com/communications/five-daydelivery.

 

If you have questions about either of these updates, please feel free to contact Arandell’s postal experts:

 

Don Landis (HDLandis@arandell.com)

Susan Pinter (SGPinter@arandell.com)

 

They can also both be reached at 800.558.8724.

A Flurry of Postal Updates: Droop Test, Move Update, Winter Sale, Dry Release Cards

Posted on December 02, 2009

Don Landis, VP, Postal and Government AffairsThe postal world is always busy, but this week we have received quite a few updates and wanted to makes sure you were aware of the following:

1. DROOP TEST: As announced earlier this year, the USPS will be implementing revised deflection, or droop standards on January 4, 2010. It was announced today, however, that the penalty for not complying with those standards will not be enforced until June of 2010.

2. MOVE UPDATE: Just a reminder that the USPS will implement the penalty phase on the Move Update Standards on January 4, 2010. Catalogers must use one of these USPS approved methods: NCOALink, FASTforward, OneCode ACS, Address Change Service, Ancillary Service Endorsement without ACS. Those using an alternative addressing format such as “Or Current Resident” are not subject to the Move Update Standards.

3. WINTER SALE: We regretfully report that there will be no USPS Winter Sale. There will be a Spring Sale starting in April. Details to come the week of December 20. As soon as we can report more, we will send an update to all of you.

4. DRY RELEASE CARDS: Effective November 20, 2009, the USPS announced that it will allow dry release cards to be affixed to the outside of a catalog when the specifications defined here are met. (For catalogs, please refer to the section titled, “Flats with Attached Release Cards.”) Arandell Corporation is equipped to affix dry release cards and we are happy to work with you to create a catalog layout that adheres to these specifications.

For questions regarding these announcements or any other postal issues, please feel free to contact myself or Susan Pinter any time. We can also be reached at 800-558-8724.

No Postal Increase for 2010

Posted on October 15, 2009

Don Landis, VP, Postal Affairs

The following was released from the Postmaster General this afternoon. Some great news for your Thursday afternoon!

For questions regarding this release or other postal issues, please contact Don Landis , Arandell VP of Postal Affairs or Susan Pinter, Director of Postal Affairs at 800-558-8724.

To Postal Service Customers:

Many of you have expressed concerns regarding mailing costs for 2010.  The tough economic climate has presented significant challenges to all of us and pessimistic speculation has suggested that postal prices could increase by as much as 10 percent.

As we begin a new fiscal year and as many of you, our business clients, are preparing your 2010 operating budgets, we want to end all speculation.

The Postal Service will not increase prices for market dominant products in calendar year 2010.

Simply stated, there will not be a price increase for market dominant products including First-Class Mail, Standard Mail, periodicals, and single-piece Parcel Post.  There will be no exigent price increase for these products.

This is the right decision at the right time for the right reason.  Promoting the value of mail and encouraging its continued use is essential for jobs, the economy, and the future of both the Postal Service and the mailing industry.

While increasing prices might have generated revenue for the Postal Service in the short term, the long term effect could drive additional mail out of the system.  We want mailers to continue to invest in mail to grow their business, communicate with valued customers, and maintain a strong presence in the marketplace.  Changes in pricing for our competitive products-Priority Mail, Express Mail, Parcel Select, and most international products-are under consideration.  We expect to announce a decision in November.

We are committed to working with customers to find ways to grow the mail through innovative incentives like the Summer Sale and contract pricing.  Mail is the most effective means of communication and advertising and we will continue to work together to increase the value of the mail.  Mail is a smart investment for the future.

John E. Potter

Stay Tuned: USPS Nearing Final Decision on Winter Postage Sale

Posted on September 25, 2009

Don Landis, Vice President, Postal and Government AffairsAs 2009 approaches the end, it appears the USPS is seriously considering the earlier-proposed Winter Postage Sale. The USPS’s final decision should be announced in the upcoming weeks. Like the USPS Summer Sale, the proposed Winter Postage Sale will provide yet another incentive for catalogers and direct mailers to increase their mail volume. In my opinion, the Winter Postage Sale will be an improvement from the previous postage incentives offered.

Unlike previous postage incentives, the Winter Sale will have a less complicate formula to calculate qualifications and savings. (The proposal is to simply base qualifications and savings on  any mail volume increase over the same period last year for the months of January 2010 through March 2010.)  It will also offer the largest incentive (proposed 30% discount) for direct mailers that qualify.

Earlier this week Hamilton Davison, Executive Director of the American Catalog Mailers Association, posted an update on the USPS proposed Winter Postal Sale. Within the article he shares the impact that ACMA has had with the proposed incentive, deadlines and additional details on the postage rebate.

USPS First-Class Mail Sale Coming Soon

Posted on August 25, 2009

Don Landis, Vice President, Postal and Government AffairsThis week will be an exciting one for some first-class mailers. On August 21, letters were mailed to all First-Class mailers who qualify for the upcoming First-Class Mail (FCM) Incentive Program. (Think you qualify, but didn’t receive a letter? Click here to contact the USPS.) The sale on First-Class mail is going to be structured similarly the USPS Summer Sale (which will last through September 30) that was rolled out for standard mailers earlier this year.

And, so you ask:

What qualifications do I need to meet in order to participate in the First-Class Mail Sale?

  • Minimum of 500,000 non-parcel First-Class pieces mailed through your Permit account between October 1 and December 31 of both 2007 and 2008.
  • Undergo a 45-day approval period by the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC).

What Incentive is being offered for participants in the First-Class Mail Sale?

  • 20% postage rebate (credited to your postal Permit account) for qualifying presort letters, flats and cards mailed between October 1 and December 31, 2009.
  • After the rebates are applied, the discounted price, on average, will land somewhere between the First-Class Mail and Standard Mail rates.

Act now!

If you received your participation letter, be sure to visit the program registration Web site. You’ll also need to work with your mail service providers to obtain accurate 2007 and 2008 counts to provide documentation to the USPS Participants. The difference between those two years’ mailing quantities will determine your incentive threshold.

If you have NOT received a participation letter but you think you qualify, click here to contact the USPS directly. Remember…this particular program is for First-Class mail ONLY.

Standard mailers, stay tuned!

These incentive programs may be here to stay. A potential winter sale is being considered, with even more features than the Standard Mail summer sale. My personal perspective is that until the USPS turns itself around, the organization will continue to find new ways to incentivize mailing quantity increases. And, even when the postal service does end up back in “the black,” I can fully see them continuing to offer these incentives during non-peak mailing seasons as long as they continue to see results. So mailers, keep on mailing!

For additional information, please contact Don Landis or Susan Pinter; they can both be reached at 800-558-8724. You can also contact the USPS directly regarding the First Class Mail Incentive Program at firstclassmailincentive@usps.gov.

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