Post Office networks Abroad
Post Office networks Abroad
Read MoreTag: Canada Post
One year old and here to stay – The PERMANENT Stamp
A year ago, Canada Post introduced the PERMANENT™ stamp, a domestic-rate stamp which is always worth the going rate, regardless of when it is purchased.
The PERMANENT stamp has been a big hit by Canadians. Since its introduction, Canada Post has sold some 764 million individual stamps. In fact, in the first three months, the PERMANENT stamp achieved all-time record sales. Things evened out throughout the year, but sales still surpassed the previous year’s “total” by more than 85 million stamps. Ms. Elise Beaudette, controller at Mercedes Benz Laval, a major user of PERMANENT stamps, says she loves the new product. “For us, the permanent stamp is a fantastic tool. Not only is it always worth the going rate, but it also avoids us having to purchase 1-cent stamps when there is a rate increase. We really appreciate this Canada Post initiative as it allows us to save time and money.”
“The PERMANENT stamp was created to simplify those transactions and take away the worry of having to affix extra postage.” In fact, in 2007 Canada Post only printed 20 per cent of the previous year’s print run of the penny-stamp. This decrease has reduced inventory operations at Canada Post. It also eliminated the need for consumers to stand in line to purchase penny stamps, said Robert Waite, senior vice-president, Stakeholder Relations and Brand.
The recently issued stamps for Christmas included two PERMANENT stamps and, due to its unprecedented success, two additional PERMANENT stamps will be issued in 2008: the Celebration stamp and the Christmas stamp. The United States Postal Service followed Canada Post’s lead in issuing their “Forever” stamp on April 12th of this year.
Read MoreSpring Global Mail welcomes decision to liberate international mail market in Canada
Spring Global Mail welcomes proposed changes by the Canadian Federal Government, which will lead to greater competition and enhanced service in the provision of international mail services for Canada. This follows the Canadian government’s recent decision to introduce legislation that will provide an exception to the Canada Post Corporation Act, whereby letters being mailed to destinations outside of Canada will be explicitly removed from Canada Post’s exclusive privilege. Under the new legislation, Spring Global Mail will be able to continue providing cost-effective, valued added services, meeting the international mailing needs of its Canadian customers.
Commenting on the decision as a matter of fairness, competition and common sense, Lou Laforet, vice president Europe and Americas at Spring Global Mail said: “Spring is extremely pleased that the government has acted in favour of the international mailing industry. We are extremely grateful to all our customers for their loyalty to Spring and their patience during this period of uncertainty. We finally have the certainty that Spring and its customers have been waiting for.”
In reaction to the Government’s new, pending legislation, Canada Post has advised Spring Global Mail that it will not continue to pursue legal proceedings against the company, relating to the its international mail activities in the Canadian market, pending the necessary formal vote in Parliament necessary to complete the legislative process.
Read MoreOnline bargain hunters clogging up mail depots
Canadians empowered by a strong dollar and faced with long lines at border crossings have turned to the Internet as a way to do their holiday shopping in the United States.
But a consumers’ agency said this week that online shoppers are already facing a “bottleneck” that will only make delays longer as the Christmas season approaches.
Canada Post reported seeing cross-border parcel traffic increase 15 per cent in October compared to the same month last year, and noted a similar jump in September.
Francois Legault, a spokesperson for Canada Post, said the jump is likely related to an increase in online shopping at U.S. stores.
“We have noticed that the parcels that we have received, the majority of them are from U.S. retailers,” Legault told CTV.ca.
After the loonie hit parity with the U.S. dollar, reaching a value of USD 1.10 at one point last week, Canadians began flocking across the border to take advantage of lower prices and stronger buying power.
But in the lead-up to the Christmas season, the number of parcels and mail received from south of the border has jumped as well.
The Canadian Border Services Agency reported seeing a notable increase in the amount of packages sent to Canada from the U.S.
Canada Post and the Canadian Border Services Agency routinely increase their staff to handle the extra traffic during the holiday season.
Your package is in the mail
Mail flowing from the U.S. is checked by border services at one of three mail centers, located in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal, before being returned to the chain of delivery.
Read MoreCanada Post Seeks to Help Canadian Businesses Garner More Value for Their Mail at 'Make a Great Statement' Executive Forum
In Canada and the U.S., more than 19 billion paper bills are mailed out by businesses every year. And what many businesses are now realizing is that those 19 billion statements they’ve been mailing out to their customers every month actually present an overlooked wealth of opportunities to build loyal relationships with their customers, and gain an advantage over their competitors so that they can attract new customers.
Speaking to Senior Marketing executives at the Make a Great Statement Executive Forum in Toronto, Cheryl Persad, vice-president of Enterprise Sales at Canada Post said, “85 per cent of Canadians say they prefer to receive bills and invoices by physical mail, and 72 per cent of Canadians feel that mail is the best way to receive important information. And for communicators, mail not only reaches 100 per cent of Canadian households, but 86% of Canadians open and read their mail the same day they receive it.”
Businesses are discovering that statements can be an effective part of their organization’s integrated communications plan… statements are a regularly-scheduled, one-on-one meeting they can have with their customers every month. Each statement can be a personalized, relevant, customized marketing tool that companies can use to retain customers, increase customer satisfaction and even increase revenues, through cross-selling and up-selling opportunities.
To help identify what makes a Great Statement, Canada Post commissioned a study to look at more than a hundred statement designs. The study asked six firms that specialize in statement design to come up with a comprehensive list of best practices and characteristics of what they thought made a well-designed statement. The six firms identified 76 key features, which can be clustered into three broad themes: relationship builders, brand enhancers and cost-savers.
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