USPS sets Move Update error threshold at 30%

With a May deadline to improve their bulk-mailing lists or face fines looming, mailers can now receive reports on how well their mail is performing through the US Postal Service.

With a May deadline to improve their bulk-mailing lists or face fines looming, mailers can now receive reports on how well their mail is performing through the USPS.

Beginning 11 May, a mailing with a 30% or more error rate for Move Update requirements will no longer qualify for automation discounts.

“The Postal Service has had three months in which to glean data to be used to establish a fair and realistic tolerance threshold for non-compliance with the new requirements,” the USPS said in a statement sent to DMNews when clarifying the 30% rate.

For a Standard Mail mailing, this means that every piece in the mailing will be charged an additional 7 cents. For a First-Class Mail mailing, this means that every piece in the mailing will be charged at the single-piece rate of 44 cents.

The new requirements, which became effective 23 November, require businesses to update their bulk-mailing lists every 95 days. This applies for both First-Class Mail and previously, only First-Class Mail was subject to Move Update standards, and those lists had to be updated every 185 days.

USPS said it is also providing customers with feedback on their mailings via the new Move Update Reports. The Move Update Reports will help customers improve their address lists, which in turn, will help them reach their intended recipients more quickly and more effectively, according to the Postal Service.

Move Update Reports are available on PostalOne, a Web-based electronic suite of services designed exclusively for business mailers, to mailers whose mailings are processed on MERLIN (Mail Evaluation Readability Lookup Instrument) at sites that are activated with a new Performance-Based Verification process.