With First-Class Mail Volumes Dropping, USPS Needs to Appeal More to E-Commerce Marketers

When I worked for DMA, one of the main talking points its leadership reminded us of was how important direct mail was for preserving the USPS for Americans. It appears as though that talking point may have had some basis in reality. While the First-Class mail letter volume continues to fall, commercial First-Class mail volumes are slightly increasing. In other words, direct mailers are helping buoy USPS, says the Office of Inspector General.

"Something happened in fiscal year 2015 that hasn’t happened in years," reads the blog post published on Monday. "Commercial First-Class Mail volumes increased a tiny bit. And we do mean tiny. The 9,700-piece increase in First-Class Presort Cards and Letters doesn’t even register as a percentage point increase over last year."