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Borderlinx announces agreement with Citibank Singapore and DHL Express

Posted by | May 19, 2008 | |

eCommerce business Borderlinx has signed an exclusive five year agreement with Citibank Singapore Ltd to enable Citibank customers in Singapore access the U.S. eTail market. In addition, Borderlinx has signed a five year contract with DHL Express.

Citibank and Borderlinx’s agreement gives shoppers in Singapore the opportunity to access the very best range of products from U.S. eTailers, and take advantage of lower prices. This service – ‘GlobeShopper’ – provides Singaporeans the convenience and flexibility to shop on US websites that do not either ship to locations outside of the US, or accept foreign-issued credit cards. GlobeShopper includes a free concierge service and the opportunity to consolidate shipments – giving Citibank customers further cost savings.

Borderlinx has a range of solutions that eTailers can take advantage of. These can either be integrated directly into their transactional platforms, or can operate as a stand alone system used directly by the consumer without impacting the eTailer’s existing systems, processes or manpower. Borderlinx’s service enables an eTailer’s products to be immediately available to the international marketplace. Consumers using the service can order from multiple eTailers, and consolidate and store their purchases at a single point prior to shipping, thereby reducing unit shipping costs.

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New UPS facility in Ft. Myers to accommodate Area's Growth

Posted by | May 19, 2008 | |

UPS announced a USD 16.5 million expansion of the Ft. Myers facility in its South Florida District to accommodate growth and economic development in the southwest Florida region.

The project will expand the existing sorting facility on Cargo St. by some 30,000 square feet while also adding a modern UPS customer counter to handle any customer shipping needs. In expanding the facility, the company will install technology to make the loading and unloading of packages easier and accelerate the facility’s sorting capacity from 6,000 pieces per hour to 13,000 per hour. UPS also is developing 5.4 acres at the facility to construct employee parking, a fuel facility and truck wash facility.
The start of the expansion was marked here today with a groundbreaking ceremony and congressional visit by Rep. Connie Mack. Also attending were Ft. Myers City Council Member Levon Sims; Lee County Economic Development Coordinator Susan Noe, and Jack Jamme, president, Brooks & Freund Construction Co. (general contractor for the expansion project).

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Royal Mail and Vialuna launch dialogue mail to help businesses develop deeper customer relationships

Posted by | May 19, 2008 | |

Royal Mail is continuing to support the direct marketing industry in an increasingly competitive advertising landscape by launching “Dialogue Mail”, an innovative customer relationship management solution combining traditional direct mail with digital media.

In partnership with dialogue marketing specialists, Vialuna, Royal Mail now offers an integrated solution that will enable brands to have more in-depth and engaging conversations with prospects or existing customers.

Dialogue Mail capitalises on the power of direct mail to drive customers online. Recent Royal Mail research revealed that over half (55 per cent) of consumers prefer to be contacted by a combination of DM and online and that integrating digital advertising with direct mail campaigns can increase customer spend by almost 25 per cent.

The Dialogue Mail journey begins with an intrigue-based mailshot designed to pique recipients’ interest and direct them online. Vialuna’s technology creates personalised URLs, meaning the campaign is individually tailored to each customer. The interactive microsites can be designed to allow customers to share their preferences, request specific products or information and fundamentally direct their overall customer journey.

Crucially, all interaction is captured allowing the brand to learn more about individual’s behaviour and shape future communications to make them more relevant. Vialuna’s Dialog Engine tracks campaign responses and delivers lead alerts directly to sales teams in real-time.

Dialogue Mail is the latest concept in a series of innovative direct mail solutions from Royal Mail designed to help businesses win customers, build loyalty and enhance their brand through the post. The CRM-focused proposition complements Personalised Integrated Media and Sensory Mail, both launched last year, to make direct communications more engaging.

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Retail E-Commerce and the Economy

Posted by | May 19, 2008 | |

The US Department of Commerce released retail e-commerce sales data last Thursday. Online sales grew by only 13.4% during Q1 2008 over Q1 2007.

That is quite a drop-off from recent e-commerce growth rates. For instance, in 2007 total e-commerce sales grew by 19.8% over 2006.

“This shows that the economic slowdown is having more of an effect than people suspected,” said Jeffrey Grau, senior analyst at eMarketer. “It’s accelerating existing trends.”

Mr. Grau said that retail e-commerce sales growth would have slowed even without any concern about the economy. Since 2003, the real engine of e-commerce growth has come from increased sales to existing online buyers rather than new buyers.

E-commerce sales growth is still higher than overall retail sales growth, which has been 6% at most over the past five to six years. In contrast, retail e-commerce sales growth has been about 25% or more during the same time.

One reason for slowed overall retail sales growth is that existing online buyers are doing more of their buying on the Internet instead of in stores, according to USC Annenberg School Center for the Digital Future data. The organization reported that not only did large percentages of consumers say their online buying led to decreased offline buying, but that the number is growing.

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Postmaster General embraces change (U.S)

Posted by | May 19, 2008 | |

Postmaster General John Potter told more than 3,000 people attending the National Postal Forum here today to look beyond the current economic downturn and continue to transition mail into the 21st Century.

“Despite the challenging economy, one thing that hasn’t changed is America’s confidence in the mail,” Potter told the packed room. “We owe it to America, to our clients and to ourselves not to overact to the situation at hand.”

Potter provided the Forum’s keynote address, discussing technology, environmental concerns and changes in federal law that gave the Postal Service greater pricing flexibility. The National Postal Forum is the mailing industry’s premiere trade show and event.

Consumer and business need for speedy and reliable service is growing. For mail to continue to be relevant, the industry must change to continue to provide business solutions.

Potter spoke about new technologies that are providing these solutions — Intelligent Mail Barcode and the Flat Sequencing System (FSS). FSS is new technology that will speed the sorting and delivery of large envelopes, catalogs and magazines, quadrupling productivity. FSS machines also will be able to read the Intelligent Mail Barcode, allowing mailers and the Postal Service to track mail throughout the sortation process, improving service and reducing costs to mailers and consumers.

He also encouraged mailers to respect consumer interest and concerns about the environment when creating and sending mail. Eco-friendly practices, programs and services are key to the future of the industry as more consumers chose to do business with companies that embrace green practices.

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Postcomm recommends privatisation of Royal Mail (UK)

Posted by | May 19, 2008 | |

Postcomm, the UK postal regulator, has said that it has proposed to an independent review committee on postal services, to partly privatize Royal Mail to bail it out from financial deterioration.

The BBC News has quoted Nigel Stapleton, Chairman of Postcomm, as saying: “Postcomm wants to see the government and Royal Mail embrace a partnership approach with the private sector to secure a universal service.”

Postcomm has said that Royal Mail required capital to restructure itself and become profitable. Mr Stapleton has said that Royal Mail may require a subsidy if the government decides against privatisation.

Royal Mail was the only mail service in the UK till 2006, when the gates were opened for private players to deliver mails. But it still controls 90% of market share, the BBC News has said.

Postcomm has also proposed that the controller of post office network, Post Offices, be separated from Royal Mail.

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USPS appoints Sam Pulcrano as corporate VP of sustainability

Posted by | May 19, 2008 | |

Sam Pulcrano was appointed the US Postal Service’s first corporate VP of sustainability today at the National Postal Forum in Anaheim, CA.

In his new position, Pulcrano will be responsible for coordinating all of the agency’s environmental and energy programs. According to the USPS, his first goals will be to create an inventory of greenhouse gas emissions and then to initiate an action plan to reduce those emissions.

During his keynote address at the National Postal Forum, Postmaster General Jack Potter stressed the importance of the USPS “going green,” particularly in light of pending do-not-mail legislation in various states. People are concerned about what’s arriving in their mailboxes and companies need to address those concerns, he added.

At a press breakfast following the keynote address, Pulcrano said that the USPS is looking at all “opportunities to green the mail,” including the expansion of its recycling programs, among other initiatives.

In March, the USPS launched a pilot program that allows its customers to recycle small electronics like cell phones, digital cameras and iPods, as well as inkjet cartridges through the mail free of charge. The USPS has also launched pilot programs in Maine and Boston for recycling pharmaceuticals and compact florescent light bulbs, respectively. The USPS hopes to increase its revenues from its recycling efforts, Pulcrano said.

During his 33 years of service for the USPS, Pulcrano has held various positions. Most recently, he was the director of safety and environmental performance management. Responsible for about 600 employees, he oversaw the USPS’s environmental policies and programs, and its safety compliance and procedures.

At the USPS, Pulcrano also held the positions of safety manager, manager of labor relations, area manager for human resources and manager of contract administration for the American Postal Workers Union and National Postal Mail Handlers Union.

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USPS Postmaster General eyes Web as competition

Posted by | May 19, 2008 | |

The passage of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 and the downturn of the economy have resulted in a year of transition for the US Postal Service, said Postmaster General Jack Potter in his keynote address today at the National Postal Forum in Anaheim, CA. As a result of the new law, the USPS has implemented new pricing regulations and is also working on new service standards, Potters said.

“We’re in competition with the Internet,” Potter said more than once during his speech. In order to better compete, more value needs to be added to the mail, he said. At the same time, it’s “imperative” to keep prices down, Potter said.

One way to add that value is by using the Intelligent Mail barcode (IMB), which encodes routing and tracking information on mail, Potter said. Within the last year, the USPS has been seeking and responding to public feedback regarding the implementation of the IMB, he said. Overall, mailers understand the benefit of the barcode, which will save them money and decrease the amount of undeliverable as addressed mail, he added.

The upcoming deployment of Flats Sequencing System (FSS) machines will provide a faster and more efficient way to sort flat mail, which includes magazines and catalogs, Potters said. The new machines will save mailers money and help eliminate the “labor intensive” practice of manually sorting flat mail. The first FSS machine is already up and running in Dulles, Virginia, he said.

In light of pending do-not-mail legislation in states across the US, Potter also stressed the importance of addressing customers’ environmental concerns about the mail. There needs to be more discussion of the benefits of having something delivered versus driving around from store to store, he said. At the same time, mailers need to be smarter about what and how frequently they mail to their customers, he added. “Going green makes sense,” he said.

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