STAMFORD, Conn. -- Pitney Bowes Inc. today lauded the U.S. Postal Service for its proposed Summer Sale on Standard Mail letters and flats.  Pending approval by the Postal Regulatory Commission, the sale, which is a Standard Mail Volume Incentive Pricing Program, would provide large mailers with a significant opportunity to save on their postage costs.
 
Recognizing that mail drives economic growth, the USPS is using the pricing flexibility provided under the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act to offer this proposed opportunity to mailers.  The Summer Sale program would run from July 1 through September 30, 2009, and offer a 30 percent rebate to eligible mailers on Standard Mail letters and flats volume above a mailer-specific threshold.  Mailers, including nonprofit mailers, who sent more than one million Standard letters and/or flats from October 1, 2007 through March 31, 2008 would be eligible to participate in the Summer Sale.
 
Recent research indicates that, even during challenging economic times, mail remains one of the best ways to communicate with customers and prospects.  For instance, a recent survey conducted by Pitney Bowes and DMNews showed that consumers place a high value on the coupons and catalogs they receive in the mail. Mail also helps consumers start and maintain relationships with businesses and nonprofits, with 44 percent of respondents making their first purchase from a business and 33 percent making their first donation to a nonprofit because of a mail piece.
 
"Pitney Bowes applauds the Postal Service for utilizing its new pricing flexibility to develop programs that would benefit mailers," said Leslie Abi-Karam, executive vice president and president, mailing solutions management, Pitney Bowes. "The Summer Sale would help organizations reduce postage expenditures and connect with their customers. Pitney Bowes will leverage its solutions to help both mailers and the USPS benefit from this program."