Make the Most of Mailer Products

Distributors can still find success with mailers despite the technology and competition that's eating into the business.

With more than 20 years of experience in the mailer business, Tim Goodwin, president of Goodwin Graphics, Carrollton, Texas, knows a thing or two about the sale of mailers. He can spout price quotes off the top of his head and discuss design elements like he's reciting the alphabet.

He can also give you a good history of how successful mailers have been. And, according to him, they are still fairly successful, except for one little thing—e-commerce. "If one were to go back 10 years and try to get an invoice in the mail efficiently, he would find that the mailer was the perfect fit," he said. "But the story today is a bit different. Nowadays people are sending e-file invoices as a fulfillment service, or they fax the invoices—a not-so-friendly service forcing invoice recipients to pay for the fax paper on which they print."

"All of this," he continued, " is eating into the mailer business."

To overcome this dilemma, Goodwin Graphics has ventured into pressure seal mailers, which can be used for applications such as invoices and report cards.

Distributors wishing to sell the mailers can probably find success through municipalities, utility companies and electric co-ops which, he added, "are printing a lot of past-due notices as opposed to regular invoices these days."

Another optimum target for mailer sales is hospitals, which buy about 75 percent of Goodwin's stock mailers.

Under Pressure

For the past five years, Goodwin has been trying to build up the pressure-sealed mailer market, but said, "It is so erratic and so many people are getting into it that it has almost become a commodity product."

In fact, Goodwin has noticed that with the increased competition, some manufacturers are price cutting, possibly as a way to service company debt.