We understand that customers hate the hassle of having to go to the post office to get stamps for greeting cards they need to send, so we have stamps available for purchase with your greeting cards at The Pleasure of Your Company. But here's a new approach under consideration at the USPS, and it's an even more convenient idea. The article is long - if you want a one-sentence synopsis, it's that greeting card manufacturers would supply postage-paid envelopes with greeting cards.
The news that the United States Postal Service has been experiencing hard times is not news. Hoping to breathe some life into the struggling mail system the USPS has proposed a postage-free greeting card test. With correspondence volume dropping 14 percent since 2002 and first class letters and cards dropping by nearly three billion pieces in 2010, the need to revitalize correspondence is obvious. Many blame the increasing popularity and pervasiveness of electronic communication, but many consumers have bemoaned the extra step required of providing postage. In fact at the recent Greeting Card Association (GCA) Convention in Sanibel, FL, a young woman on a panel of college students noted that she would be more likely to mail cards if a stamp was included.
The experiment which was filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission on November 8, relies on the use of the Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB) and is based on the concept that consumers will be more likely to use first class mail if they don't have to provide postage on their own.
While the idea has merit, there are still many issues to iron out as even those in the industry who are proponents of the plan will attest. Under the proposal, greeting card manufacturers will pay the postage based on sales information along with a scan of the IMB captured during the mailing process.
The IMB encodes tracking information that is read by the processing equipment and price information is recorded. The greeting card companies that participate would receive a unique mailer ID for the market test as serialization is required for envelopes used in the program. This would identify the company who will be responsible for paying the postage once the envelopes are mailed. An imprint stating "No postage Necessary if Mailed in the United States" will be placed in the upper right corner of the envelope where postage would normally go. The greeting card companies will be charged 48 cents for cards and envelopes with a combined weight between one and two ounces plus the second ounce price for sales/scans. This pricing is just for the test and the agency has stressed that the pricing is open to adjustment in the future.
Participating companies will have to meet specific mailpiece design requirement and have design approval before distribution. The mail will be processed and delivered the same as standard single-piece first class mail.
This is just the early stages of planning and clearly there are many concerns for greeting card manufacturers to consider before deciding to undertake this system.
The experiment which was filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission on November 8, relies on the use of the Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB) and is based on the concept that consumers will be more likely to use first class mail if they don't have to provide postage on their own.
While the idea has merit, there are still many issues to iron out as even those in the industry who are proponents of the plan will attest. Under the proposal, greeting card manufacturers will pay the postage based on sales information along with a scan of the IMB captured during the mailing process.
The IMB encodes tracking information that is read by the processing equipment and price information is recorded. The greeting card companies that participate would receive a unique mailer ID for the market test as serialization is required for envelopes used in the program. This would identify the company who will be responsible for paying the postage once the envelopes are mailed. An imprint stating "No postage Necessary if Mailed in the United States" will be placed in the upper right corner of the envelope where postage would normally go. The greeting card companies will be charged 48 cents for cards and envelopes with a combined weight between one and two ounces plus the second ounce price for sales/scans. This pricing is just for the test and the agency has stressed that the pricing is open to adjustment in the future.
Participating companies will have to meet specific mailpiece design requirement and have design approval before distribution. The mail will be processed and delivered the same as standard single-piece first class mail.
This is just the early stages of planning and clearly there are many concerns for greeting card manufacturers to consider before deciding to undertake this system.
No comments:
Post a Comment