FIRST-CLASS MAIL IMPROVES OH-SO-SLIGHTLY, MARKETING MAIL NOT SO MUCH
First-Class Mail service performance was a touch better, but still well below standards. More than 80% of First-Class letters were delivered on time – maybe this is meeting their standards to the extent USPS wishes? It is worth noting that much of what was late was quite late, with 4.58% more than 5 days late.
Marketing mail is more of a concern. For years it has stayed steady at about 95% on time, understanding that Marketing Mail standards are easier, and Marketing Mail is often inducted closer to delivery. More than 10% of Marketing Mail letters were delivered late – 6.6% more than 5 days late. The worst performance was in the middle of the country, with Arkansas generally slower. Typical delivery times were over 6 days in Arkansas. All of Arkansas falls under the Memphis NDC, and they did have challenging weather conditions.
Drop shipping Marketing Mail into SCFs has been the one delivery performance metric that mailers could count on – we’re concerned with the extended downward performance trend.
