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Post Office Facts and Figures

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A collection of interesting facts and figures from the United States Postal Service

  • The USPS delivered 146.4 billion pieces of mail in 2018, more than 52% (77.3 billion) was Marketing Mail
  • 47% of the world’s mail volume is handled by the USPS
  • That’s 484.8 million mailpieces each day
  • Shipping/Package volume increased 500 million pieces to 6.2 billion in 2018
  • The Postal Service processed 36.8 million change of address requests in 2018, more than 100,000 a day
  • The first ‘scratch and sniff’ stamp was released in 2018 as part of the USPS’s Frozen Treats stamps
  • The USPS purchased 675,000 tires to support their fleet of vehicles in 2018
  • Postal Service employees traveled 1.4 billion miles to deliver your mail

source: https://facts.usps.com/table-facts/

 

Informed Delivery Opportunities for Mailers

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Informed Delivery reaches a new milestone for sign-ups opening new opportunities for mailers

The United States Postal Service recently announced that Informed Delivery has reached the milestone of 15 million subscribers.  Informed Delivery is a free service allowing consumers to receive a daily email preview of their incoming mail and manage their packages.  Consumers can sign up for the free service at the USPS Informed Delivery website.

What does this mean for marketers using direct mail?

Mailers can now deploy an Interactive Campaign that will integrate their mailpiece with the Informed Delivery email being sent to consumers.  The interactive campaign includes custom images and a targeted URL, giving consumers the ability to click through to a landing page or website.  The Informed Delivery Interactive Campaign gives mailers an easy pathway to marry their direct mail campaign with a digital component creating an omni-channel option.

The USPS is also offering a 2% discount off postage for mailings incorporating the interactive campaigns.  The promotional period runs from September 1st through November 30th.  Eligible mail includes Marketing Mail letters and flats, Nonprofit Marketing Mail letters and flats, and First-Class presort & automation letters, cards and flats.

NFocus is here to help you succeed with your Informed Delivery Interactive Campaign.

NFocus can help mailers with every step of creating and deploying interactive campaigns.  The NFocus NFormed Delivery full service option includes formatting pre-campaign data and reports, and uploading required elements into USPS Business Customer Gateway for deployment.

We also offer a self-serve option to mailers who would like to manage their campaigns.  NFocus can provide the required data elements needed to marry the interactive campaign to the direct mail campaign.

Contact NFocus today to learn how you can take advantage of these opportunities.

2019 Postage Rate Calculators

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Plan your 2019 direct mail schedule with help from our postage calculators

The popular NFocus postage rate calculators have been updated and are ready to download.  The new calculators will help guide you through all of the 2019 rate changes for Marketing Mail, Non Profit Marketing Mail, and Periodicals.

The 2019 calculators have been updated with a new look and additional information.  Users will notice the new Part Code column which directly corresponds to the price category codes found on your postage statement (form 3602 for Marketing Mail).  A new Promotions Calendar has also been added (tab 2) which gives users a quick reference guide to the 2019 USPS promotions.

Download a copy of the NFocus Postage Rate Calculators below:

2019 Postage Rate Calculators 

2019 USPS Marketing Mail Rate Calculator

2019 USPS Periodical Mail Rate Calculator

2019 USPS Non Profit Marketing Mail Rate Calculator

Need hep figuring this out?  Contact your NFocus rep today.  We provide a complete suite of resources to help direct mailers including our NControl report for periodical publishers, 24-7 access to the top direct mail list data with Listcounts, and our powerful Smart Saturation solution for mailers looking for a more targeted list.

Construction Update

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Renovation work continues

Construction crews are taking advantage of the recent dry weather conditions and have continued making progress on the NFocus remodeling project.

Work is now focusing on the new front entryway.  The two-story arched entrance is being framed in and the roof is nearing completion.

NFocus Construction Update

 

 

 

 

 

 

NFocus team members signed their names on a piece of the truss that is now installed into the framework of the new front entryway.

 

Follow the progress of the project here and check out our photo gallery on Facebook.

 

NFocus Holiday Hours

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NFocus Holiday Hours

On behalf of the entire NFocus family, we wish you and your family a very happy holiday season!

NFocus will be closed the following days:

December 24th and 25th

December 31st and January 1st

Please contact your Account Manager or Support if you have any questions or need to adjust your order schedule.

Thank you and happy holidays!

Sincerely,

The NFocus Team

 

Mail.dat Version Requirements for 2019

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USPS have updated mail.dat requirements for the new year.

The United State Postal Service recently announced that they will only accept mail.dat versions 18.1 or higher in 2019.  Versions 17.1 and 17.2 will no longer be supported.  As such, NFocus will move to providing mail.dat version 18.1 for all processed jobs by January 1st.

Please contact your Account Manager or Support with any questions or concerns.

NFocus Welcomes New Director of Information Technology

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NFocus is excited to announce the appointment of Cliff Reynolds to the role of Director of Information Technology.Cliff Reynolds

Cliff brings a wealth of experience to the NFocus team including IT infrastructure, global manufacturing, system operations, and network management.  Cliff’s background includes working as an IT Project Manager and Senior Program Director for Fortune 500 companies in the Midwest.  Cliff also spent 15 years in IT Infrastructure and Operations for the United States Marine Corps.

“We are thrilled to have Cliff join the NFocus family,” said Doug Cronin, President of NFocus.  “Cliff’s experience and knowledge will be a tremendous asset to our Development team.”

Cliff lives in Lancaster with his wife and four kids.  Cliff volunteers with veterans helping them transition into jobs after their service ends by assisting them with job placement services and is the President for the Lancaster Gales Youth Football Association.

About NFocus: NFocus is a company rooted in strong data, supported by knowledgeable people, and strengthened by innovative solutions to accelerate growth.  Founded in 1989, NFocus helps marketers succeed through our proprietary marketing technology, robust data portfolio, and extensive industry experience.  Processing billions of data records annually, NFocus is a proven marketing partner for a variety of clients across the United States.

Postal Regulatory Commission Approves 2019 Rates for Market Dominant and Competitive Products

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The new rates will take effect January 27, 2019.

The Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) announced today that they approved the United States Postal Service’s planned postage rate adjustments for both Market Dominant and Competitive products.

First-Call Mail rates for 2019:

Product Old Rate New Rate
Forever Stamp $0.50 $0.55
Metered Letter $0.47 $0.50
Additional Ounce $0.21 $0.15

 

Select Competitive product rates for 2019:

Product Old Rate New Rate
Retail Small Flat Rate Box $7.20 $7.90
Retail Medium Flat Rate Box $13.65 $14.35
Retail Large Flat Rate Box $18.90 $9.95
Retail Regular Flat Rate Envelope $6.70 $7.35