Results beat cool technology. The National Postal Forum (NPF) was filled with exhibitors and speakers demonstrating many new technologies and AI use cases. The big difference—it wasn’t just cool technology. Speakers and exhibitors alike presented real world results across many vertical markets. Marketers spoke about the key performance indicators (KPIs) of response, conversion rates (CVR), average order value (AOV), and Return on Investment (ROI). I heard many impressive examples of AI technology enabling better results in direct mail acquisition, retention, and shipping operations.

In Part 1 of my NPF coverage, “The Human Touch: How Mail is Engaging New Audiences,” I wrote about NPF examples that engage recipients with tactile and digital experiences. Here are the ways artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the mailing and shipping industry by enhancing targeting precision, personalizing content, and optimizing logistics.

Smart marketers, mail service providers (MSPs), and data service providers are leveraging AI to build models of likely responders from customer profiles. These propensity and predictive models are enabling brands to reduce the total number of mail pieces printed, and focus on those prospects with the highest likelihood to respond and convert.