The USPS offers digital marketing solutions to merchants and businesses in some surprising new ways, and the Postmaster General highlighted some of them at a keynote address at this week’s National Postal Forum.
“More than 2,000 mail senders are now using Informed Delivery to entice consumers toward a website, a coupon, or to open an app or connect directly with a business,” General Brennan told attendees. “This is a powerful offering that moves the mail recipient closer to making the purchase.”
The USPS Informed Delivery service allows residential customers to see a mobile preview of their mail. It currently has over 16.4 million registered users, and the Postal Service is committed to growing that base to 40 million customers by the end of 2020.
“New combinations of physical and digital are proving to be a growth opportunity for our industry,” Brennan said. “Organizations see significant increases in sales that can be attributed directly to an integrated advertising campaign.”
Brennan revealed that the USPS will expand Informed Delivery by including package integration to help engage recipients.
Despite her 32 years at the agency, Brennan’s message sounded more like one coming from a CEO than from a bureaucrat, describing the Postal Service information and technology infrastructure as a “platform of products and applications to power growth and business opportunities.” (Brennan’s full title is Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer, reflecting the fact the USPS now competes with private carriers in addition to its universal service obligation.)
“Whether it is information that improves efficiency in payments, returns, processing, or that improves visibility into letters, packages, and transportation, the Postal Service Informed Platform offers a data-driven, customer-centric approach for our industry. We leverage our information infrastructure to empower our business customers with the right data, at the right time so they can reach the right consumers, and so that those consumers can make the most informed purchasing decisions.”
Providing greater efficiencies in handling returns would certainly be welcomed by sellers.
SOURCE: USPS Press Release
