Well, what do you know? We made it through yet another year. I was just getting used to writing “2025” on checks, and now that will be wrong. Yes, I still do write checks, though, admittedly, a lot fewer these days.
2026, once I get used to writing it, has the potential of being an excellent year for the mailing industry, and particularly for SnailWorks customers.
- There is no general postage increase this January. The Postal Service has, more or less, agreed to one increase a year.
- The new USPS promotions will offer a 5% discount, with the opportunity to add another 2% with the Sustainability and Informed Delivery promotions. Mailers who take advantage of these promotions will effectively see a reduction in their postage rates in 2026.
- USPS service performance is looking just a little bit better than it was in 2024, and we hope to see continued improvement in the new year.
- Artificial Intelligence shows promise for mailers by offering new ways to increase response rates through a new service, which SnailWorks plans to roll out in the first quarter. It is possibly the most exciting new service we have introduced since our founding.
Of course, there are always challenges in any honest forecast.
- The Government Accounting Office recently said the obvious – the Postal Service does not have a sustainable business model. It cannot fix it by raising prices, increasing efficiency, or handling more packages. I believe all parties involved agree that the Postal Service’s physical connection is an essential part of our government. Still, something must give. Whether 2026 will be the year a real game plan is put together remains to be seen. My money says it can and will be deferred by a couple more years.
- The economy is always a wild card, and historically, the health of the economy has a much bigger impact on the mailing industry than postal rates.
So, what is a mailer to do? Well, track your mail, of course. That is my universal fix for everything from decreased response rates to a sprained ankle. But there may be even more that you can do:
- Participate in promotions. The Postal Service is giving you money to do so. Take their money! Anyone who is not participating in every possible promotion is no longer allowed to complain about postage rates. We’ll be watching.
- Embrace Informed Delivery. It may be the simplest way to improve response rates with no extra investment. One in three households now subscribes, and the extra impressions make a difference. Even with a reduced promotion discount, we are seeing more Informed Delivery campaigns every month. They work.
- Speaking of Informed Delivery, don’t forget the excellent, detailed data you get from every campaign. You can identify subscribers, email subscribers and openers, clickers, and more. More and more, our customers are using this data to help strengthen their lists on subsequent efforts.
- Make your UAA mail DAA! There are so many tools to help make your list more accurate. SnailWorks can include detailed PARS data as part of your mail tracking – it’s included. ACS is a very affordable option as well. (UAA mail is Undeliverable As Addressed. I’ll let you work out the DAA one).
We’ll be hosting a Webinar on January 15, 2026, where I will peer into my crystal ball and try to figure out why I have a crystal ball, as well as trying to guess predict the future. Click here to register now for the webinar!
In the meantime, have a Happy New Year…and track your mail!