Tag: USA

The Postal Regulatory Commission holds hearing on universal service (U.S)

Posted by | Jul 8, 2008 | |

The Postal Regulatory Commission is holding a public hearing on the universal postal service obligation on July 10 from 10am-12pm at its hearing room in Washington, DC.

Testimony from this hearing in addition to other pubic feedback will be used in developing a formal report due to Congress by December 19, on “universal postal service and the postal monopoly in the United States, including the monopoly on mail delivery and access to mailboxes.” The report is a requirement of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006.

According to the PRC, the report will focus on geographic scope, product offerings, access to facilities and services, frequency of delivery, rates and affordability, and quality of services.

The commission has already held field hearings on this topic in Flagstaff, AZ; St. Paul, MN; and Portsmouth, NH.

So far, a number of comments have been submitted to the PRC on the universal service obligation. They can be accessed from the commission’s Web site at prc.gov.

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Photo Messaging Replacing Postcard for U.S. Vacationers

Posted by | Jul 8, 2008 | |

Among age groups, the heaviest users of photo messaging in Europe are people 55 years old and older, according to a ComScore survey.

Photo messaging has risen 60 pct in the United States over the last year, as the camera phone for many vacationers replaces the postcard once sent to friends and family, a market research firm said Tuesday.

Latecomers to sending photos by mobile phones, Americans are expected to reach even higher photo-messaging rates in July and August, given that the two months have surpassed the average rate for the last three years.

Photo-messaging growth in the U.S. is seen among all age groups, ComScore said. The fastest growing segments are teens and people older than 35. About two in three American owns a camera phone.

In Europe, where photo messaging got an earlier start than in the U.S., the rate of use is up 16 pct over the last year. Europeans send photos by phone during the summer months only slightly more than average. The spike is typically in December, when families share Christmas holiday festivities over newly acquired phones. A similar phenomenon is also seen in the United States.

Among age groups, the heaviest users of photo messaging in Europe are people 55 years old and older. More than three in four Europeans have a camera phone. “Camera phones are in the hands of the majority of mobile phone users and are increasingly a part of the fabric of peoples’ lives,” Donovan said.

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DHL launches new version of shipping software designed for small businesses

Posted by | Jul 8, 2008 | |

EasyShip Connect 8.0 permits customers to access shipping functions to both U.S. and international destinations via an easy-to-use PC-based application.

EasyShip Connect is compatible with the Windows Vista operating system, expanding access to more PC users.

EasyShip Connect is a software-only shipping solution that communicates with DHL servers via the internet to perform all shipping functions, from printing waybills to tracking shipments and shipment management reporting. Designed for customers shipping up to 50 packages per day, EasyShip Connect automates the entire shipping process.

Expanding its shipping capabilities for exporters, EasyShip Connect can now accept a pre-filed ITN for compliance with U.S Department of Commerce Electronic Export Information (EEI) requirements. EEI filing is required for most international shipments valued over USD 2500.00, and for specific commodities and destinations.

Additionally, a designated “administrator” of EasyShip Connect within an office can set parameters for shipment processing, such as the ability to select specific service levels or value-added services, thereby providing greater control of expenses.

New DHL EasyShip Connect features also include:
– Multi-piece air shipping on a single waybill
– Dry ice shipping functionality
– Connectivity with USB scales for automated weighting
– Enhanced Domestic shipping services to Puerto Rico
– Improved export documentation tools
– Both one-way and two-way return label processing for distribution to customers
-Enhancements to increase speed and performance

EasyShip Connect 8.0 is DHL’s first software release available entirely in a downloadable format from DHL’s website and is compatible for users of Windows Vista, XP and Windows 2000.

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Window Book Offers New Cost-Saving Return Merchandise Labels for Shippers

Posted by | Jul 8, 2008 | |

Window Book announces new Return Merchandise system in its Postal Package Partner software making USPS return service easier to use and more cost effective.

e-Commerce Shippers can now use Postal Package Partner to print Return Merchandise labels that can be sent out with the package without prepaying for the postage. The postage is deducted from the original shipper’s permit account only when the item is returned. Now shippers do not have to pay postage on items that were not returned to them, and can have preprinted return labels included in every package to make it easy for the end customer. Consumers are more likely to buy your product when it is easy and free to return if it does not meet their needs.

“Returning items can be a tedious time consuming and costly process. By using Postal Package Partner’s USPS return labels, you are supplying your customers with convenient return system and only paying shipping costs on what gets returned. This is just one more way to improve your customer service and reduce costs,” said Jeffery Peoples, Window Book’s CEO.

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Integrator share prices slump as oil prices soar

Posted by | Jul 8, 2008 | |

Stock prices of top express companies including DHL parent Deutsche Post World Net, TNT, UPS and FedEx have fallen dramatically over the last six months, primarily due to rising oil prices and worsening economic conditions.

DPWN has experienced the most dramatic fall. Its June 30 share price of EUR 16.60 represented a 17.5 pct fall on the previous month and a 28.5pct slump compared to January 2, 2008.

TNT shares also fell sharply by 14.5pct to EUR 21.72 as of June 30 compared to one month earlier, and ended the first half of 2008 with an overall decrease of 22.2pct. Despite the completion of a EUR 500 million share buyback programme, its stock price was negatively impacted by the weaker economic environment, rising oil prices and a Q1 profit drop of 17.7pct.

UPS suffered a share price drop of 14.1pct to USD 61.47 as of June 30 compared to the previous month. The six-month drop in the share price was slightly lower at 12.5pct. In Q1, the slowing US economy and unprecedented increase in the cost of fuel along with additional charges for aircraft retirement and redundancies caused lower-than-expected US package volume and an accelerating contraction in the use of premium air products which resulted in a double-digit drop in profit.

FedEx is also suffering from the triple impact of soaring fuel prices, the weak US economy and financial charges causing its shares to fall by 14.5pct to USD 78.79 as of June 30 compared to May 30. It had the lowest half-year share price fall of the “Big Four” with 8.55pct.

Trying to compensate for higher fuel costs, the four integrators increased their air fuel surcharges dramatically to the 20pct – 30pct range last month as soaring oil prices drove up operating costs.

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