The Secrets of Mail Success
Read ’Em and Weep
So, where does the new USPS rate structure leave mailers of catalogs and periodicals? Although online ordering is up, research shows consumers are still initially shopping for items from catalogs, and all the creative designs and folds in the world can’t help magazine publishers take advantage of letter-size discounts. “The PRC [Postal Regulatory Commission] really showed the wisdom of Solomon. Current periodicals’ rates allow or actually encourage a lot of mailer behavior that is inefficient and labor-intensive for the [USPS]. That has led to rapid increases in ... costs to handle periodicals, which in turn has driven large rate increases for periodicals,” commented Mark White, vice president, manufacturing, for New York-based U.S. News & World Report. “The PRC rejected the Postal Service’s ill-conceived proposal and laid the groundwork for periodicals’ rates that are aligned with the Postal Service’s costs. But the PRC did not move to fully cost-based periodicals’ rates yet because of the ‘rate shock’ that would cause some inefficient mailers.”
- People:
- Mary Ann Bennett
- Places:
- Rochester, N.Y.