Postmaster General “We’re Here to Stay”

PMG Pat Donahoe released a message of reassurance to USPS customers, telling them the Postal Service is “here to stay” and that he has a plan to lead USPS to profitability and long-term growth. In a video posted on YouTube, Donahoe brings customers up-to-date on steps the Postal Service is taking on the legislative, network optimization and wages and benefits fronts. “The key thing is that we hear from you with other ideas to make sure that, together, we do this the right way,” concludes the PMG. “Thanks for your business, thanks for your trust and stay in touch.” Want to hear it straight from the PMG? PostCom (Association for Postal Commerce) is offering a free webinar on November 10th entitled: USPS Financial Stability - The USPS is NOT Going Out of Business. The PMG will personally discuss his plan for USPS financial stability. Reserve your webinar seat here.

Source: USPS News Link & PostCom

QR Code Update

So you're still wondering if printing those QR Codes in your catalog is worth all of the hype. Well, to make your decision easier, here are the latest statistics on QR Code use in marketing in the US:

• How many people scanned QR Codes in the month of June in the US? Try 14 million! This is the equivalent of every single person in the state of Pennsylvania scanning a QR Code in the month of June.
• Are the people scanning QR Codes wealthy? The study found that more than 36% of the people scanning QR codes in the US are earning over $100,000-wow!
• Where are people when they scan QR Codes? Surprisingly, even though QR Codes are meant to appeal to people on the go nearly 60% of QR Codes are scanned at home. That’s where your catalog is delivered.

If you want to drill down a little deeper we encourage you to view these two posts: QR code lovers skew male, young & affluent and 14 Million U.S. Adults Used QR Codes in June. The statistics make it clear that QR Codes are not a passing fad or trend. The fact that 10s of millions of people are scanning QR Codes in the US, means that you need to start including QR Codes in your marketing right now if you're not already including them.

Source: TheDirect Mailman.com

Why didn’t the USPS think of this?

A QR Code postage stamp was issued for the 20th anniversary of the issuance of postal stamps by Croatian Post Hrvatske pošte, the national postal service of Croatia. Each of the 3.10 Kuna (0.56 U.S. dollars) stamps has a unique code printed below the QR Code. When you scan the QR Code you're taken to a mobile site where the unique code can be entered and you can view confirmation on the receipt of your mail as well as additional data about its route. Users can find out when the mail was sent, how many kilometers it had traveled, when it reached its destination and more.

Source: Ad Age Digital

FedEx Predicting Record Volumes

FedEx is predicting record volumes this holiday season, driven by surging e-commerce shipments. The company said it expects to handle 17m shipments – almost double its normal daily average – at the peak expected on December 12. After last year’s 15.6m peak on December 13, FedEx said it was expecting this year’s peak to be the busiest day in company history. A 10% year-on-year increase in shipment volumes will be led by its residential shipping partnership with the US Postal Service – FedEx SmartPost. In the three months to the end of August, FedEx SmartPost has already seen a 29% year-on-year increase in its average daily volumes.

Source: Post & Parcel