Tag: North America

AOL launches paperless coupons service

Posted by | Mar 13, 2008 | |

AOL wants you to stop clipping coupons or even printing them out. The company is launching a new service, Shortcuts, for manufacturers to distribute coupons on the Internet.

Instead of clipping them out of your newspaper insert, you can simply choose the ones you want online and add them to an account tied to a grocery store’s loyalty program. To redeem those coupons, you simply present your loyalty card at the register.

The program is free for consumers and retail chains, while manufacturers pay to have their coupons listed. Charges will be based on how many get selected and redeemed.

Manufacturers can also buy banner ads to accompany the coupon listings at Shortcuts.com.

The new service, the latest aimed at distributing paperless coupons online or by cell phones, comes as Time Warner Inc.’s AOL continues trying to boost advertising revenue to offset steep declines in subscriptions for dial-up Internet access.

Although AOL expects manufacturers to continue distributing coupons in print publications, Shortcuts director Sharon Baker said companies could eventually offer exclusive deals online.

That could leave out people with little or no Internet access, who often are poorer and the ones who most need such discounts. But Baker said that, because it will be free to consumers, Shortcuts actually will break down barriers — no longer would you need to buy a newspaper for the savings.

Shortcuts was scheduled to launch Thursday with the Kroger Co. grocery store chain and one food manufacturer, General Mills Inc.

Coupons from Kimberly-Clark Corp. and Kraft Foods Inc. are to come later this month.

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Connect with friends and loved ones through the US Mail for free

Posted by | Mar 13, 2008 | |

A card in the mail is like an unexpected visit from a friend, a way to connect with absent loved ones that stands out among the digital clutter of voicemails and emails. Thanks to the United States Postal Service and HBO, Americans can rekindle the power of the written word with a greeting card to send a heartfelt, handwritten message to someone special — free of charge.

For National Card and Letter Writing Month, the Postal Service is encouraging Americans to log onto poweroftheletter.com and order a greeting card. The card will be sent with a stamped envelope enclosed. Both the card and the stamped envelope are sent at no cost. Drop the mobile phone and PDA for just a minute and pick up a pen instead of sending an email or text message. The message you send via the US Mail can be saved for years or even centuries and not deleted with a simple keystroke.

“Letters and cards are personal, you can hold them, you can read them over and over again, and keep them forever — these are things that email and text messaging cannot replace,” said Anita Bizzotto, chief marketing officer for the Postal Service. “National Card and Letter Writing Month pays tribute to the power of the written word and promotes the emotional and historical value of the mail.”

The Postal Service and HBO created the “Power of the Letter” campaign to promote handwritten correspondence, educate all on the historical significance of this type of communication, and reintroduce John Adams, one of our founding fathers who was a prolific writer. He and his wife Abigail exchanged over 1,100 letters during the course of their courtship and marriage. The letters, held by the Massachusetts Historical Society, were a crucial resource for historian David McCullough, whose Pulitzer Prize-winning biography John Adams is the foundation for the HBO miniseries of the same name premiering on March 16.

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UPS holds Investors Conference

Posted by | Mar 12, 2008 | |

UPS Chairman and CEO Scott Davis told Wall Street analysts and investors the company is poised for long-term growth, driven by globalization.

He said UPS has made significant progress in developing its global, multi-modal integrated transportation network. The UPS network now handles freight forwarding and less-than-truckload shipping as well as small package transportation on UPS-owned or third-party assets. This unique capability provides a seamless customer experience regardless of the type of shipment, the mode of transportation or the location around the world.

Chief Financial Officer Kurt Kuehn reviewed UPS’s 2010 goals. He stated the company remains on target to achieve the long-term goals that it revealed at its investor conference in November 2006. From 2005 to 2010 UPS anticipates:

– Revenue growth of 6-to-8 pct per year.
– Compound annual earnings per share growth of 9-to-14 pct.
– And return on invested capital of 23-to-25 pct.

After noting that several economic indicators have recently worsened, Kuehn provided insight into the company’s results for the first two months of 2008. He said the U.S. package segment experienced a solid January, but volume declined in February across virtually the entire customer base. “If these trends continue through March, our earnings guidance for the first quarter will be difficult to achieve,” Kuehn added.

Other areas of the business are performing well. For example, international average daily volume, including U.S. export volume, continues to show strong growth. Kuehn also indicated the international and supply chain segments remain on target for the quarter. Despite short-term economic challenges, UPS’s annual earnings guidance remains USD 4.30-to-USD 4.50 per share.

To capitalize on that opportunity, UPS has enhanced its service offerings to participate in a market in excess of USF 225 billion, encompassing small package, air and ground freight.

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UPS says slowing economy may weigh on first quarter

Posted by | Mar 12, 2008 | |

United Parcel Service Inc., said it may not meet its first-quarter earnings target as U.S. economic growth slows.

Domestic shipments at UPS have dropped for six straight weeks, Chief Financial Officer Kurt Kuehn said today at an investor presentation in New York. Air deliveries have fallen faster than ground shipments. The declines make UPS’s per-share profit goal of 94 cents to 98 cents “difficult to achieve,” Kuehn said. He reaffirmed full-year guidance of USD 4.30 to USD 4.50.

The economic outlook for this year is “uncertain at best,’ Chief Executive Officer Scott Davis told investors. Lower interest rates and tax rebates that are part of a federal economic stimulus package may help reinvigorate demand, he said.

“I’m not ready to proclaim the quarter lost, and I’m not ready to proclaim the economy lost,” Davis said.

Higher fuel costs, job losses and falling home values have dimmed growth prospects for the economy. It will expand 1.4 percent for all of 2008, the weakest since the last recession in 2001, based on the median estimate of 62 economists polled by Bloomberg from March 3 to March 10.

UPS will focus on expanding overseas sales to overcome slowing U.S. demand, Chief Operating Officer David Abney said.

The company is adding operations in 10 cities in China and buying seven Boeing Co. 747-400 wide-body freight airplanes, Abney said. He said India’s export volume jumped more than 25 percent last year, while European exports rose more than 10 percent.

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