The big news is that the Postal Service is raising postage rates on August 29, 2021, not the traditional January once-a-year increase. And it’s a large increase due to additional pricing authority given to the USPS. This increase is more than the five previous price increases combined!
Yearly postage increases have been based on the CPI (Consumer Price Index). The Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) also granted additional pricing authority to the Postal Service based on three areas:
As we make our way through January and winter, the annual postal rate increase just took place on January 24, 2021. If there is a positive – for mailers this increase is less than the one in 2020 with Marketing Mail rates seeing an average increase of $.003 per piece.
Key changes include –
Download J&Q’s Postal Rates and Reference Guide for the 2021 postage rates, mailpiece qualification specifications, postal optimization tips and more.
Security Is a Top Priority at Johnson & Quin
Security and privacy are top concerns for all types of businesses due to security breaches at major companies in the United States and around the world, as well as the implementation of an increasing number of privacy regulations. How do we keep sensitive information safe from hackers who are persistently working to infiltrate computer networks to steal identities, social media accounts, financial, health and other valuable personal information? This private data is at a much higher risk of being compromised with millions of us now working from home. Mail service providers like J&Q must be able to prove that data, both their own and their clients’ information, is secure.
Informed Delivery is a Postal Service program that provides a digital preview to consumers of their household’s incoming mail. Grayscale images are displayed of letter sized packages that have been processed and scanned through USPS automated sorting equipment. The images can be viewed via email, an online dashboard or mobile app. Individuals can quickly and easily sign up for the program on the USPS website.
Mailers who run an Interactive Informed Delivery Campaign from September 1 through November 30 can take advantage of the USPS promotion and earn a 2% discount on postage! See more below.
Lettershop staff make sure mailings and postage stay on track.
It has been about 2 months since Covid-19 hit and the resulting pandemic disrupted our lives and businesses. We would like to share how Johnson & Quin and our employees are doing now that business as normal won’t be back to normal for quite some time. First J&Q continues to produce our clients’ direct mail programs on schedule and with the same attention to quality and security as always.
Office staff are working remote with occasional trips to the plant as needed. Although some of our teams were already set up to work remote, our IT staff has been phenomenal in setting up everyone to work efficiently and securely from home. Employees in all departments have come up with some great ideas to work more efficiently and provide the plant with the instructions they need to accurately produce and mail programs. And everyone loves Zoom and Skype meetings where we can actually see each other to connect.
As the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to race across the nation and throughout our cities and states, the management of Johnson & Quin is continually reviewing the situation and making adjustments to keep our employees safe and to continue to produce and mail our clients’ direct mail programs.
Johnson & Quin is considered an essential business in the State of Illinois and continues to print and mail to support our marketing clients and the United States Postal Service. The USPS is also an essential business and an integral piece of the nation’s critical infrastructure, delivering information, social security checks, offers, medicines and other goods directly to homes. The USPS depends critically on the mailing and printing industry. Click here to read the letter the USPS issued on March 22, 2020 regarding the continued operation of the mailing and printing industry.
View MCS’s recent video on Johnson & Quin’s Success Story!
How important are vendor partners to your business? Almost all companies rely on other businesses to supply them with something to make their product or service happen successfully. Johnson & Quin’s vendor partners are key to both J&Q and ultimately our clients’ success.
MCS, Inc., a mail industry supplier, recently produced a video highlighting the success that J&Q has had in using their equipment. MCS designs, manufactures, sells and supports inkjet imaging systems and inserter matching systems for the mailing industry. Beginning in 1999 J&Q has used their equipment including inkjet, matching and inserting systems to manufacture our clients’ direct mail programs.
Postal Rate Increase 2020
It’s that time of the year again – the festive holiday season is over, we are in the midst of winter with its often cold and cloudy days, and another postal rate increase hits marketers’ budgets beginning Sunday, January 26, 2020. Although the increase is less than last year’s, direct mailers will still see an increase of about $.005 per piece for Marketing Mail and $.002 for Nonprofit Mail.
For the 2020 postage rates, mailpiece qualification specifications, postal optimization tips and more download J&Q’s Postal Rates and Reference Guide.
Kay Wilt
Quintessentials Blog 