Mail Obesity – does size matter?

In today’s aesthetically driven media and advertising world the emphasis and desire often target size zero, or the perfect ten depending on which side of the Atlantic you do business. Models with largely unobtainable figures adorn billboards, screens and invade everyday life. Does this have relevance in the world of post?

Does mail obesity matter?

MHI and IRIS, their unique routing platform, firmly believe the answer is yes… Pack sizes matter in many different ways; the onset of PIP in the UK is not a new phenomenon globally and many Postal Authorities have a size based price parameter in place. The complex issue being, these vary by destination country, with one PO’s Large Letter being another’s Gross.

So how do you keep on the “right side of the tape?” – Clearly a territory where IRIS steps in to lighten the load.

A recent project, for an FMCG free product sample mailing, was based on a standard retail box size until the involvement of the MHI Team. They worked closely with the designer and manufacturer for the Scandinavian phase to consider the postal routing as an integral part of the strategy.

Often post is considered a secondary concern in the design process despite the fact it’s often the most expensive part of many DM campaigns. Through IRIS the client was provided with a proactive approach. Putting the pack on a diet & slimming 2mm off the box the postage cost dropped from $336,000 to less than $123,500. Additional cost to client being $500 of re-tooling and some additional sortation labour costs thus saving nearly $200,000!

Did anyone feel guilty at the blatant fatism? Obviously not…