IPC Direct Marketing Intelligence Study - October 28, 2009
The latest edition of Postal Technology International features an article on a major pilot study on Direct Marketing Intelligence funded by IPC in 2008. The study looks at the role of Direct Mail in six national markets: Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, the UK and the USA.
As people change the way they live and do business, posts can provide value-added services to direct mail and realise its potential to bridge the gap between the online and off-line world.
The mainstream adoption of new technologies and the growth in the diversity of e-communication has resulted in unprecedented levels of complexity and fragmentation in marketing and communication today. However, it remains critical for advertisers to maximise return on their investments.
Mailers Council’s New White Paper Calls for Legislative Reform to Avoid USPS Insolvency - October 23, 2009
The Mailers Council, the nation’s largest coalition of mailers and mailing associations, has published a new white paper that warns of United States Postal Service insolvency without significant new legislative reform. The paper suggests other non-legislative steps to avoid collapse of the nation’s postal system. White Paper
“The Role of Regulators in a More Competitive Postal Market” a study for the European Commission, Directorate General for Internal Market and Services by WIK-Consult - October 13, 2009
Overview
The purpose of this study is to identify appropriate next steps for the regulators of postal
services in the Member States of the European Union (EU) and European Economic
Area (EEA) in light of the evolution of postal markets, best regulatory practices, and the
ongoing transposition of the ‘Third Postal Directive’.
In the last two decades, postal services — collection and delivery services offered by
public and private operators — have undergone a period of rapid and fundamental
evolution. Advances in electronic communications, information processing, and
transportation systems have precipitated basic changes in the supply and demand for
postal services. These market developments have been overlain by legal and
institutional changes accompanying the creation of a single European market.
Beginning with the Postal Directive adopted in 1997, Community legislation has sought
to harmonise and improve postal services in the Member States. The directive requires
Member States to regulate postal markets to ensure a universal postal service meeting
minimum specified criteria, while at the same time embarking on a course of ‘gradual
and controlled liberalisation' and giving basic protections to users (senders and
addressees) of universal services. To implement these obligations, the directive
requires Member States to establish one or more ‘national regulatory authorities’
(NRAs) for the postal sector.
The Postal Directive has been amended twice. The ‘Second Postal Directive’ (the
original Postal Directive as amended in 2002) has been transposed into national law by
all Member States of the EU and EEA. The ‘Third Postal Directive’ (the Second Postal
Directive as further amended in 2008) must be transposed by 31 December 2010 at the
latest (some Member States have until 31 December 2012). The Third Postal Directive
completes the program of liberalisation begun in the original Postal Directive by
requiring Member States to end all postal monopolies and implement other changes
consistent with ‘full market opening’.
This study seeks to assist the NRAs and other regulators of postal markets — i.e.,
ministers, legislators, national competition authorities, etc. — to establish a sound basis
for implementing the Third Postal Directive by:
• reviewing the manner in which Member States have implemented the original Postal
Directive and its 2002 amendment;
• summarizing the role of the competition authorities and general competition law in
regulating European postal markets;
• describing preparations and studies undertaken or planned for implementation of
the Third Postal Directive;
• identifying ‘best practices’ in the regulation of postal markets by postal and
competition authorities, where ‘best’ reflects the objectives and requirements of the
Third Postal Directive; and
• identifying potential gains and appropriate mechanisms for cooperation among
national regulatory authorities in order to implement the Third Postal Directive most
efficiently and effectively.
"The Evolution of the European Postal Market since 1997" a study for the European Commission, DG Internal Market and Services by ITA Consulting & wik Consult - October 13, 2009
Executive Summary
1. Report Objectives and Approach
This report examines the evolution of the European postal market since the start of EU Postal
Reform in 1997. It covers both the letter post and the parcel and express market segments.
The aim of the report is to assess key market trends in the light of EU Postal Reform and, in
particular, in the light of the gradual opening of the postal market during the period of 1997-
2009. It describes the postal reform process and evaluates the impact on access, affordability,
prices, consumer satisfaction and complaints, quality of service, and competition. In addition, it
highlights likely trends in the near future and offers various recommendations with regard to
key issues.
The report is mainly based on secondary research (i.e. reports, market surveys, annual reports
and customer surveys published by the European Commission, national regulatory authorities
and other European and national postal stakeholders). To simplify the description and analysis
of the national postal markets at an EU level, three geographical groupings were made:
Western, Southern and Eastern European Member States.
In this report letter post services refer to the collection and delivery of correspondence, direct
mail and publications. Letters encompass correspondence and direct mail (i.e. addressed
advertising). Correspondence includes private and office mail as well as transactional mail.
Transactional mail consists of industrially produced items that comprise i.a. bank statements
and invoices. Publications, i.e. newspapers, magazines and periodicals comprise subscribed
publications (delivered by a postal operator) as well as customer newsletters or sponsored
magazines. Unaddressed advertising is not part of letter post. Parcel services are the transport
of largely standardised packages and usually have a non- guaranteed delivery time of 2-3 days.
Parcel services are also referred to as “deferred services”. Express services are time-sensitive,
usually guaranteed services and have as delivery time a specific day (in general the next day)
and/or a specific time.
Postcomm Report: The Social Value of the PostOffice Network - September 11, 2009
[Press Release.]Postcomm, the UK postal regulator, published research, conducted by NERA Economic Consulting and Accent, on the social value of the post office network.
The report provides a quantitative analysis of customers willingness to pay for the post office network and the services provided by post offices, derived from a survey of households and businesses.
Significantly, the report showed that customers place a high value on the existing network of post offices although it did not address further questions related to the case for public funding, such as the net cost of providing the current network or how the value of post offices compares with the value of other services (such as education and health care).
In its summary of the main findings in the report, it said:
* For the services of general economic interest provided by post offices (ie postal services, benefits, licensing, bill payment and access to banking services), our lower and upper estimates of the total social value are respectively �0.9 billion and �4.4 billion per year. These totals are built up from average values per household of between �2.6 and �12.2 per month, and average values per SME of between �2.4 and �9.0 per month. Postal services are particularly important, accounting for around 56 per cent of these totals.
* For the network as a whole, our lower and upper estimates of the total social value are respectively �2.3 billion and �10.2 billion per year. These are based on average willingness to pay of �5.9 to �28.6 per month for households, and �6.6 to �24.6 per month for SMEs.
* There is a large difference between the values for the network as a whole and the values associated with the specific services provided by post offices. We interpret this as representing the value that customers attach to the wider social role of post offices. As noted above, however, this value might be affected by recent publicity about the role of post offices.
* In general, the evidence on whether the social value of the post office network differs between types of household or between geographic areas is weak. But there is some evidence that pensionable age households have lower than average values, and households in rural and urban deprived areas have higher than average values.
* Evidence of differences in values for individual services is also weak. But there is evidence that disabled/sick households have higher willingness to pay for benefits and licensing services than other households, and that pensionable age households have lower willingness to pay for banking services.
* There are generally good indications of the validity of the results obtained. Interviewers reported high levels of understanding, effort and concentration; respondents were able to give consistent, and rational explanations for their choices; and willingness to pay was found to vary, as expected, according to income and use of the post office, There are two reasons to be cautious in interpreting the results, in addition to those mentioned already.
1) Firstly, there is evidence that the lower range values are biased downwards, due to respondents giving answers that are fair or reasonable rather than the maximum they would be willing to pay for the post office network. This type of response is common in studies of the present kind, however, and is the reason these results are considered as our lower range of estimates.
2) There is also evidence that the lower range values for households are somewhat sensitive to the range of costs used in the survey, and these costs were higher than
expected for a significant proportion of respondents (28%).This means that the lower range value for households might be somewhat inflated. We are unable to quantify the extent of this effect. In our view, however, the lower range estimates remain likely to be a lower bound on the true value of the post office network.
* While households and SMEs typically prefer to use post offices to access services, rather than other providers, in some cases there is a clear preference for one option amongst the possible alternatives to the post office. For example, using the internet is the preferred alternative for renewing car tax or applying for a passport, and using other retailers is the preferred alternative way to buy stamps.
* Providing services through post offices results in an estimated extra cost of �96 million per year for taxpayers, mainly reflecting the provision of the Post Office Card Account (POCA) which allows households without bank accounts to receive benefits and pensions through the post office.
* An estimated 83 per cent of post offices have associated businesses, of which we estimate that 57 per cent are profitable when viewed in isolation and 43 per cent are not profitable.
Prof Ian Bateman, a noted expert in the field of valuation said:
The study provides a useful estimate of such values which may well prove sufficient for decision making purposes and clearly indicates that network benefits far outstrip costs. The clear conclusion of the study is therefore that the post office network provides a major net social benefit to the UK population.
Report
Smart Mailing for SMEs - September 9, 2009
[in2town.co.uk.]David Jefferies, Marketing Communications Director, Pitney Bowes highlights how SME marketers can capitalise on the brand influencing powers of direct mail.
The theory that sophisticated direct mail is the sole preserve of large companies conducting bulk mailings, no longer stands up. With an ever-increasing range of new marketing technologies available small organisations can reap the benefits of this cost-effective marketing medium.
For SME marketers, budgetary restraints necessitate a clever and efficient approach to campaign management if brand presence is to be established and sustained. But, it is not just at the SME level that marketers are feeling the pinch. There is a general shift away from budget-draining activities such as media advertising and a focus on less costly sales promotion and direct mail campaigns.
Direct mail has long represented a cost-efficient means of generating response for astute SME’s. But until now, the technique has not been recognised for its brand-building qualities. However, this attitude is changing. Today, marketers recognise that cleverly targeted, professionally presented direct mail will generate response whilst also creating a favourable brand image. Undoubtedly, available print and mail technology has played an important role in boosting the status of this marketing technique.
At the SME level, folding, inserting and franking technology continues to move on apace. The best technology is developing in line with today’s increasingly liberalised postal market to offer users choice, convenience and professionalism.
Undoubtedly, automation of the mail operation has enabled many businesses to cut costs, eliminate errors and free staff to focus on core activities. But equally, forward-thinking businesses are demanding that this automation is coupled with the functionality to allow them to capitalise on the cost-efficient reach and influence of direct mail. Professional presentation of the mail-piece is every bit as important as mailroom convenience.
The ability to adapt to the changing postal climate is key. With postal rates frequently changing, marketers are turning to the latest intelligent franking machines which link to the web to provide downloadable postal rates and software rates. Just last year Royal Mail announced a 2p discount for First and Second Class franked mail. Now, at the touch of a button, marketers can ensure that their campaigns are being despatched at the best possible price, whilst available software enhancements provide a future-proof upgrade path.
In turn, downloadable advertising slogans serve to transform standard mailshots into eye-catching marketing communications. Here, businesses can gain an important head-start over competitors through ensuring that any direct mail carries the brand message on the outside of the envelope, as well as inside. The communication does not even need to be opened by the recipient in order for brand value to be conveyed.
Technology must be able to adapt to changing legislation such as Royal Mail’s recent requirement on returned post. Since October, when businesses require direct mail to be returned to sender in case of failed delivery, envelopes must be marked with a return address. Again, marketers using the most advanced franking machines will benefit from the ability to print this return address neatly on the front of the envelope, positioned alongside the indicia and ad plate to maintain presentation standards.
While the scale of investment into CRM technology will obviously be lower amongst SME’s, businesses at this level are certainly adopting the principles. Nowadays, data lists can be bought in smaller volumes or metered, database solutions are available off the shelf and barcode intelligence can be used to track responses. Data can be analysed and segmented, and messages personalised to a fine degree. The important point is that, with today’s mail technology – even at the lower-volume level - no compromise is necessary when it comes to delivering personalised mailings.
However, a word of caution: any marketer using this technology to despatch clumsy bulk mailings – in the understanding that brand influence will benefit – will quickly come unstuck. Recipients expect direct mail to be relevant and marketers must realise that the power of the medium to build the brand is also the power to damage the brand through misdirected communications. Indeed, companies should be quick to ensure that targeting becomes even more of a priority. Yes, direct mail is becoming recognised as a significant brand influencer but poorly targeted campaigns will only ever influence in a negative fashion.
Ultimately, when it comes to outgoing mail, SME’s are concerned about three things: cost per piece; predictability of delivery; and are we doing everything we can to cross-sell and up-sell to our customers? It is only in recent times that the last concern has become a realistic goal for businesses of this size. With today’s mail technology, dynamic direct mail is available to businesses of every size.
Comreg Reports On An Post Quality Of Service Performance Between April - June 2009 - September 4, 2009
The Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg), the National Regulatory Authority (NRA) for the postal industry in Ireland, today published the results of its quarterly independent report on the Quality of Service performance of An Post during the period April to June 2009.
The report for Quarter 2, 2009 shows that:
- 85% o mail was delivered throughout the State within one working day for the period 1st April to 30th June 2009. This compares with 79% fr the 2008 annual result and with 83% fr the previous quarter in 2009. The target set by ComReg for Next Day Delivery is 94%. - 98% o mail was delivered within 3 working days against a target set by ComReg of 99.5%. - Mail posted for delivery within the county of posting (excluding Dublin) showed an improvement from 85% i Quarter 1 2009 to 87% i Quarter 2. However, a slight decline in next day delivery performance was observed in Mail posted in Dublin for delivery within Dublin County, from 84% i Quarter 1 2009 to 83% i Quarter 2.
- Mail posted outside of Dublin for delivery within Dublin County recorded an improved next day delivery rate of 83%, ompared with 76% fr the previous quarter in 2009.
Commenting on the report findings, Mr. John Doherty, ComReg Chairperson, said The overall improvement in postal service performance will be welcomed by postal users. However it is essential that the rate of improvement is accelerated and the 94% trget is achieved and sustained so that Irish postal consumers can reap the full benefits that a quality postal service will bring .
The independent survey, conducted by TNS mrbi, is based on a nationally representative sample of 6,977 test mail items posted and delivered throughout the State to identify on time reliability of An Posts domestic single piece mail. The full set of published results ComReg 09/69 is available in the publications section of the ComReg website, www.comreg.ie
ComReg is the sole body with statutory responsibility for setting, monitoring and publishing quality of service standards in relation to the universal postal service. The survey is undertaken independently of postal operators. The survey is based on the statistical methods set out by the European Standards Institute (CEN) and is mandated by the European Commission. In accordance with the CEN standard, bulk mail, which frequently receives a lower delivery standard in return for price discounts, is not included. The survey is conducted by TNS mrbi and is independently audited. Report
"The Future Of Postal Services" by Steve Lawson, Editor, Hellmail - September 2, 2009
There is little doubt that the internet, whilst transforming the way most of us communicate with the modern world, has put the squeeze on traditional postal services. We've all become so used to the speed and immediacy of email, it is rare these days that we choose to hand write a letter, stick it in an envelope, and post it. For a third of a price of a stamp we can even send a text message. In fact paper post has almost the same status now as the Telegram against the marvels of the telephone (or 'Telling Bone' as TV's 'Catweazel' described it), earning itself the unfortunate title of 'snail mail' in the process. For postal operators, these are difficult times and most are having to reinvent themselves, consolidate, or even cut services.
Not all is doom and gloom however, and there is evidence to suggest that post will be with us for some years yet. Hybrid mail could in time, help integrate traditional postal services with our present obsession with everything digital, once everyone latches on. For those unfamiliar with the concept, Hybrid mail is the link between the computer desktop and the conventional letter box, with software that enables users to create and send a letter electronically and for it to be printed, despatched, and posted elsewhere - allegedly at a lower price than if you did the entire job yourself. Such services are now already being offered by all the major postal operators but Swiss Post has gone one step further by teaming up with Earth Class Mail to provide customers a way to access their post from practically anywhere using a mobile phone or computer. Using vetted operatives, letters can be opened, scanned and made available, well, from the relative comfort of any armchair.
Such apparent leaps in technology, whilst not exactly rocket science, do give an insight into the way in which we are likely to use postal services in the future, although all these ideas do rely on almost universal access to the digital world. With the UK government's plan to improve internet access, including a levy on phone lines to help pay for it all, the Royal Mail will have little choice but to continue to improve access to online services over the coming years, and presumably with fresh ideas that depend even less on the working hours of postal workers.
Correos, the Spanish postal operator, once notorious for being somewhat unpredictable, if not slow, has invested in a computerised postal network and spent a fortune on its virtual post office, seeing an increase in online sales of around 18% fr the first half of 2009. The number of transactions was also up compared to last year, from 154,584 in 2008, to 180,502 this year - a growth of 16.8%. he message must surely be, ignore the internet and you do so at your peril.
The shift towards online services and the loss of business to the letters market has been partly obscured as postal operators concentrate on direct mail and a growth in small parcels due to the rise in services such as eBay and Amazon, but both the UK and the U.S face difficult decisions on what should or should not be protected in order to save money.
U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission Chairman Dan Blair, speaking to Fox News earlier this year said:
"This is different because we've seen a decline in volume across all classes in percentages not seen since the Great Depression. You couple that with the decline in first-class mail as well - the mail mix isn't as profitable as it once was."
In fact his view is that reducing delivery days (not a favourite with the direct marketing industry either), would actually accentuate decline and suggests that the closure of some U.S. post offices would be a better move to reduce overheads, but even this may only be a temporary reprieve for an industry that continues to see annual decline in the volume of letters. The UK has pruned its post office network by 2,500 over the last couple of years and replaced others with mobile post offices that visit one or two times a week in rural locations. That in itself may also accentuate decline with post office customers looking for other ways to keep in touch.
Royal Mail Letters now only contributes around 1% t group profits and whilst the UK postal dispute (more or less a resurrection of the one in 2007) seems to focus on just how all this change is to be implemented, and 'pay' apparently thrown in to the mix, few would disagree that change is essential to ensure Royal Mail can continue to provide the Universal Service Obligation and avoid mass redundancies although even the USO depends on where we go next technologically speaking. Like most postal operators it is trying to play to its strengths including the physical advantages of hand-delivered mail rather than the virtual equivalent, but at the same time trying to second-guess the market and establish products that straddle the physical and virtual world. Tough call.
Hybrid mail may well be part of the answer but technology moves on at such a relentless pace, it could be that eventually, the mobile phone rather than a street address, becomes the key entry point for most communications, with possibly the inclusion of a swipe ID card to aid verification of the recipient. Earth Class Mail clearly believes this is the way forward. For Swiss Post, which has bought in to the idea, it may well be the best answer in the medium term, helping slow down decline and buy it time whilst it develops new ideas based around the same technology.
Its easy to forget that most postal operators were originally purveyors of Post, Telegraph and Telephone services, including the Royal Mail in its GPO days, but with the Telegraph almost extinct and telephone services over the years, split and run by numerous privatised companies, operators are by no means strangers to sweeping change. What makes this so very different is that for the first time (with the exception of the FAX machine), we are able to feed in a document at one end and the recipient able to read it seconds later via a mobile phone on the other side of the world.
Traditional postal operators have no way of competing with that and despite some optimism by Deutsche Post that decline has now reached its lowest point, most predict it will actually continue for the foreseeable future, or until a widely accepted means of shifting documents around has been established that we can all live with.
The Germans have already moved into the parcel pick-up station, an interesting concept I saw at last years Post-Expo where parcels can be collected with a relevant ID card from a rather large vending machine. Still, it does have the distinct advantage of being 24 hour and providing the unit isn't too far away, wouldn't be a bad idea. In France however, the idea of using Metro stations as a delivery pick up point for La Poste customers has prompted strike action (in a way only the French know how), even if the idea might just suit customers. You start to get a sense that theres a real fight going on here to hang on to a long-lost postal mecca in the face of the post-digital revolution.
I wouldn't rule out house deliveries for a while yet, but with deliveries in the UK already creeping into the afternoon and much of that made up of advertising material, most people seem unphased by all the fuss being made by the postal union (the CWU) - apathetic even. To be fair, people have more important problems to contend with right now and can send emails all day long, strike or no strike. Its that difference that is shaping the future of postal services and why resisting change will inevitably prove fruitless, otherwise we're back to singing the praises of the Telegram once more. Noble perhaps, but still fruitless.
Amid unrelenting bad news, the Postal Service is striving to make the case that mail is here to stay.
“We’re very optimistic about the future of mail because mail has great value,” said Susan Plonkey, vice president for sales. “Mail works.”
Top postal officials say the recession is to blame for the agency’s $7 billion deficit and a steep drop in the volume of mail, and they express confidence that mail, particularly advertising, will rebound.
But even the Postal Service acknowledges that some mail is gone for good. Earlier this week, the Postal Service said that it would offer cash incentives in a bid to get up to 30,000 employees to voluntarily resign or take early retirement by the end of September and save $500 million next year.
With the Internet, the Postal Service has been experiencing what it calls “electronic diversion” with people moving online for correspondence and other activities.
Companies’ campaigns to push consumers online are likely to continue that trend. Verizon Communications has begun a “Get Your Green On” campaign, giving customers a chance to win a 2010 Toyota Prius Hybrid in a sweepstakes if they go paperless. While several phone companies charge for detailed paper bills, in September T-Mobile will begin charging $1.50 for a basic printed bill each month.
“It’s cheaper for us to process,” said Angeline Depauw, director of remittance processing for Verizon, about online bill paying. “You have less risk of fraud. It’s just more efficient.”
Javelin Strategy and Research, a research and consulting company for the financial services industry, says that 70 percent of households that have computers pay bills online each month, up from 64 percent last year.
Mark Schwanhausser, an analyst for Javelin, said that people move to online bill paying for convenience, and because they are “fee sensitive” during a tough economic climate.“I don’t think this is going to be something that’s going to backtrack,” he said.
Another culprit: the electronic filing of tax returns. The Postal Service says there was a sharp increase in e-filing this year, with fewer people mailing in their forms. Many people will also receive electronic tax refunds, which were previously mailed as checks.
“It’s only growing,” said Kate Fulton, senior vice president for government relations at H&R Block, which helps customers file online. “The I.R.S. is driving this. They want more e-filing, and we are embracing it too.”
The Postal Service is resigned to losing some business to online alternatives. But postal officials also say that, with the Internet in full swing, the volume of mail hit a record in 2006. That year, the Postal Service handled 213 billion pieces of mail because, even as it lost some business to the Internet, advertising mail was booming.
The Postal Service says that a decline in marketing mail, like credit card offers and bulk advertisements, is responsible for most of the drop in the amount of mail sent this fiscal year. About 175 billion pieces of mail will be sent in 2009, down from 202 billion last year.
“I believe that when the economy returns, marketing mail will grow,” Ms. Plonkey, the service’s vice president, said. “I think that we’ll continue to have electronic diversion, but I think that we can offset that loss.”
Advertising analysts agree with that assessment to some degree. Brian Wieser, head forecaster at the media agency Magna, says that advertising mail will grow but not get back to where it was before the recession within the next five years.
Referring to studies showing that advertising mail engages consumers, Mr. Wieser said that mail has a “tactile character that’s difficult to replace with online equivalents.”
“You are sometimes overwhelmed by spam,” Ms. Plonkey said, but with paper mail, “the message stays. You don’t delete it. We find that it’s tremendously effective.”
The problem, Mr. Wieser says, is that mail is much more expensive than other types of advertising, particularly online advertising, which he predicts will grow more rapidly.
Mike Hayes, the chief strategy, development and operations officer for Geomentum, a marketing and media consulting agency part of the Interpublic Group of Companies along with Magna, says that advertisers are exploring new types of custom advertising besides mail, such as mobile advertisements and advertisements directed at particular segments of cable television viewers.
“As advertisers have pulled back, in pulling it back, they’re looking at alternatives because they’re forced to,” Mr. Hayes said.
Some companies say they are already moving in new directions. Laurie Brooks, a spokeswoman for L. L. Bean, said the company would continue to value catalogs because of studies that show they are effective. But she also said that high costs have led to smaller and fewer catalogs.
“A few years ago our Web sales surpassed our catalog sales, so we are shifting our focus to Web advertising,” Ms. Brooks said.
Despite a drop in advertising, the Postal Service has had growth in some areas.While first-class mail has been on the decline over all for several years, there has been more use of first-class mail by online movie rental companies like Netflix, whose revenues have been growing during the recession. Netflix ships around two million DVDs each day.
Steve Swasey, vice president for corporate communications for Netflix, believes this may mean the Postal Service and the Internet can co-exist.
“It used to be invitations,” he said, talking about mail that people were excited to receive. But after the onset of e-mail messages and Evite, he said, “Netflix is something that you rush out to your mail box for.”
The Postal Service’s future in package delivery also appears bright, though shipping services make up only about 10 percent of its revenue. Even as other types of mail decline, packages have been holding strong, despite competition from FedEx and United Parcel Service.
Bob Bernstock, the Postal Service’s president for mailing and shipping services, attributes its success in shipping to a strong marketing campaign and competitive pricing. In this case, the Internet has also been a help, not a harm, for the Postal Service because of Web sales on sites like eBay.
“If you want to get a one-pound sweater or something like that to a home, we’re damn good at it,” he said.
USPS 2008 Household Mail Diary Study - August 24, 2009
Executive Summary:
This report documents the findings of the United
States Postal Service’s Household Diary Study
(HDS) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008. The three main
study purposes are to:
• Measure the mail sent and received by U.S.
households,
• Provide a means to track household mail trends
over time, and
• Make comparisons of mail use between different
types of households.
The report examines these trends in the context of
changes and developments in the wider markets for
communications and package delivery.
Study
