Tag: North America

DHL delivers Plácido Domingo's 'Around the World' tour to Boston

Posted by | Apr 11, 2008 | |

DHL, has partnered with Plácido Domingo to bring the star tenor’s “Around the World” tour – including the tour’s stage equipment, costumes and musical scores – to 20 cities spanning five continents over the next two years. Following concerts in Wiesbaden, Moscow and Hong Kong, the tour will make its first stop in the U.S. for the Maestro’s first-ever full concert appearance in Boston on Monday, April 14.
Sharing a commitment to children and to charities that support future generations, DHL and Plácido Domingo have extended their partnership in Boston to support the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Later today in Boston, three pediatric patients from Dana-Farber’s Jimmy Fund Clinic will meet Plácido Domingo at the concert’s press conference. The Maestro will autograph a musical score from his Boston concert for the patients, and DHL will deliver the autographed score to Dana-Farber to be auctioned at a future date to benefit the Jimmy Fund.
Immediately following the press conference, DHL has teamed up with the Boston Red Sox, an active supporter of the Jimmy Fund for the past 55 years, on bringing the patients, their families and the Maestro to Fenway Park for the evening’s Red Sox vs. New York Yankees game.

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PRC okays USPS' competitive products price increase

Posted by | Apr 11, 2008 | |

The Postal Regulatory Commission authorized the US Postal Service’s planned price increases for its competitive products yesterday.

“Based on the notice and supporting material… the commission finds no reason to conclude that the planned price adjustments for competitive products are not in compliance with applicable statuary provisions,” wrote Steven W. Williams, the PRC’s secretary, in the order.

The USPS’ competitive products include Priority Mail, Express Mail, parcel select and parcel return service, in addition to certain international mail offerings. The price change is scheduled to go into effect May 12.

According to the commission, Express Mail rates will increase by 3.1 pct while Priority Mail will increase by 4 pct, parcel select by 5.7 pct, and parcel return service by 2 pct. The rate change for various International competitive products range from 5.2 pct for global express guaranteed to 21.3 pct for international surface airlift.

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USPS releases new address standards for flat-sized mail

Posted by | Apr 10, 2008 | |

The US Postal Service has released new address standards for flat-sized mail. These new standards are set to go into effect as of March 29, 2009.
The new address standards will assist the USPS in its implementation of its new Flats Sequencing System (FSS), which will sort flat-sized mail into delivery sequence, thereby reducing carriers’ time spent manually sorting mail.
Because flat mail varies in size and does not have a uniform address location, the USPS said it needs the new standards in order to “promote consistent addressing.”
The new standards will require mailers to adopt new address placement and formatting requirements for periodicals, Standard Mail, bound printed matter, Media Mail and library mail flat-sized pieces sent at automation, presorted or carrier route prices, the USPS said. The standards also include revisions for automation and pre-sorted First-Class Mail flats.
The USPS also announced today that it has posted details about the requirements needed to qualify for new commercial base and commercial volume pricing for Express Mail International and Priority Mail International.

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US online retail spending to rise – study

Posted by | Apr 10, 2008 | |

A new study from Forrester Research predicts that despite the current economic gloom, online retail spending by US consumers will rise by 17% this year to USD 204 billion.

The study of 125 retailers for Shop.org, the online arm of the National Retail Federation, found apparel is likely to be the largest online sales category in 2008, accounting for an expected USD 26.6 billion. This is followed by computers at USD 23.9 billion, and autos at USD 19.3 billion.

But Scott Silverman, executive director, Shop.org, warns that despite the bullish predictions, e-retailers are still vulnerable to the economic situation.

“From higher shipping costs to changes in consumer shopping habits, online retailers are not immune to the current economic climate,” he says.

However the report does say that growth in the online retail market will slow as the number of people new to the Internet begins to wane and retailers struggle to decide whether to invest in strategies that retain current customers or those that attract new ones. According to the study, online retailers allocate 53% of their marketing budgets to customer acquisition and 21% to retention.

The research also suggests that online retailers will increasingly look to social networks to attract new customers. Of those questioned, 65% say they will increasingly focus on social network advertising and 55% will turn to widgets.

But Forrester strikes a note of caution, claiming social networks have been considered more effective for brand-building and less proven for driving revenue or sales conversion. Therefore retailers need to continue investments in proven techniques like e-mail marketing and free shipping promotions to drive sales.

Search engine marketing continues to be the most effective way to reach new customers, accounting for 35% of online sales. But one technique that looks to be losing favour is the offer free shipping to customers. While 85% of online retailers say they used some shipping promotions in the past, just 35% say they will focus more on these types of offers in 2008.

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UPS & FedEx eye overseas growth

Posted by | Apr 10, 2008 | |

With the U.S. economy waning and its outlook for recovery uncertain, the shipping industry, too, is eyeing overseas growth opportunities to offset tough times at home.

But while bellwethers like UPS Inc. and FedEx Corp. seek to reduce their dependency on the wobbly domestic economy, they still cannot afford to stop focusing on their core U.S. operations, analysts say.

UPS cut its first-quarter earnings forecast because of higher fuel costs, a weakening U.S. economy and reduced domestic package volume.

Last month, reported a 6 percent drop in third-quarter earnings and said a slow economy and high fuel prices are expected to continue cutting into profits. It predicted fourth-quarter earnings would be lower than a year ago and its earnings growth would be limited in the next fiscal year.

The company said that by 2010, it intends to increase to 40 percent the percentage of its operating income that comes from its international and supply chain/freight operations. That compares to 32 percent last year.

In turn, it intends to reduce from 68 percent to 60 percent the percentage of its operating income that comes from U.S. domestic operations. UPS is eyeing China, India and Europe for growth opportunities.

FedEx, meanwhile, said last month that it is depending heavily on its ongoing growth overseas. Sales at the company’s cargo airline saw double-digit growth recently primarily because of growth in international express shipments.

But analysts who follow UPS and FedEx said the shippers will still need to rely on their home market in years to come.

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