Direct Mail Outlook — Better Days Ahead

Then came the May rate increase and a reminder that every silver lining is attached to a dark cloud.

The crippling increase for flat-shaped mail pieces was particularly harmful for catalogers and their printers but, on the whole, the direct mail community enjoyed success in adjusting campaigns to meet the now-cheaper letter rate standards. It’s come at a price, as mailers have once again needed to become more finicky in their frequency and size, while ratcheting up the customization and personalization levels to a higher degree.