Table of Content
- Intro
- Understand the benefits of shipping with USPS
- Get started with Click and Ship program
- USPS Loyalty Program Rewards
- Package Pickup service
- USPS Marketing Mail
- Other free business services
- Final thoughts
There is nothing small about running a business successfully. Many business owners spend the majority of their time driving traffic and closing deals, but they frequently overlook the need of developing a fulfilment network. Needless to say, delivering client orders on time is an important step in ensuring a high levels of customer satisfaction.
The USPS is an essential part of ecommerce businesses' fulfillment operations. By utilizing the USPS's services, E-commerce businesses can ship packages quickly and efficiently. This article provides small and medium businesses a guide of important USPS resources to assist with everyday business needs, including shipping solutions like Click-N-Ship, the Loyalty Program rewards system, mail marketing services, and other best shipping practices.
Understand the benefits of shipping with USPS
When it comes to shipping, USPS is the clear winner. Not only is it the most cost-effective shipping carrier, but it’s also the most reliable. Here are some of the biggest benefits of shipping with USPS:
- Cost-effective shipping. USPS has the most affordable shipping rates, which is ideal for businesses trying to save money on shipping costs. You may save even more if you participate in their Loyalty Program, which allows registered USPS business account customers to collect loyalty points and use them for future shipping charges.
- Reliable shipping. With a 99 percent on-time delivery rate, USPS is the most dependable shipping provider. This is owing to its extensive distribution network. Because USPS offers the greatest delivery network of any carrier, your items will arrive at more places faster.
- USPS has received multiple honors for providing exceptional customer service.
Get started with Click and Ship program
The USPS offers a variety of services that are beneficial to ecommerce businesses. If you follow our blogs, you may have read about the Click and Ship program in my previous article. USPS Click-N-Ship is a good postage option to start your business if you ship only 1 or 10 packages per month. Its simple setup process allows you to pay for postage and print mailing labels online. All you need is a free USPS account.
Additionally, in order to increase customer retention rate, USPS introduced the Loyalty Program, which allowed customers to earned credits for the money they spent on shipping. when you registered on the Click-N-Ship, you are automatically enrolled in this program. So it's very easy to set up and then you can enjoy all the benefits.
What is USPS Loyalty Program Rewards?
The USPS® Loyalty Program is an incentive that allows registered USPS business account users to earn loyalty points when they purchase Priority Mail® and Priority Mail Express® labels using the Click-N-Ship application. Credits earned can be used to future purchases of Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express labels directly inside the shipping cart at checkout. Enrolling in this reward program is free, so you won't have to worry about paying a fee.
How does it work?
The Base Loyalty Program allows users to earn $40 of credit for each $500 spent, which can be used up to one year from the date of issuance. That means that once a user completes $500 of qualifying purchases, $40 of credit will be earned and available in the shipping cart at checkout. Be noted that the points will not be available immediately. t takes 30 days for eligible points to go into effect. After the first $500 of qualifying purchases, your saving doesn't stop here. Following that, users will continue to earn Base Loyalty Program benefits.
The Loyalty tiers
USPS has designed a well-developed rewards system, which comprises of multiple loyalty levels to assess and allocate to customer at the start of each calendar year, to promote small companies and encourage them to stick to this loyalty program. As their shipment volume increases, business users' benefits will increase under this framework. That is, the more they ship, the more money they save. Available credits are also displayed when you login to "My Loyalty Overview" from https://usps.com/loyalty
Package Pickup service
Another big advantage of using USPS is that they provide pickup services to merchants who want to save time managing customer orders. There are three different options for pickup of outgoing mail from USPS.
1. Pickup On-Demand service
This service is perfect for those time-sensitive situations when you need to have your mail piece(s) picked up on a specific date in a specific timeframe. Regardless of the quantity of goods scheduled for pickup, a $25 pickup fee is paid per trip. So you might want to use this service if you need something urgently but can't ship it yourself.
2. Package Pickup service
This service allows you to schedule a pickup for the next delivery day or a designated day of your eligible mail pieces at the same time your mail is delivered by your letter carrier. The mail pieces must have prepaid postage. There is no additional charge for Package Pickup when your mail is picked up as part of your letter carrier's route and the carrier does not need to make a special trip to pick up your mail pieces. No limit to the number of packages that can be left for Package Pickup.
3. Collection service
It refers to prepaid mail deposited in a collection box. However, it is also considered collection service when customers hand their outgoing, prepaid mail, which is ready and available, to a carrier or other designated employee while that employee is performing normal delivery and collection duties.
USPS Marketing Mail
You may think that mail marketing is dead and that it is no longer a useful tool for your online business. However, statistics show that 73 percent of American customers prefer brands to contact them by direct mail since it allows them the freedom and convenience of reading whenever they choose. Despite the fact that marketing has become increasingly digital, marketers and audiences still prefer paper-based marketing since delivering letters, postcards, and flyers in their mailbox makes your consumers feel valued and appreciated. Nothing beats the Power of Mail for developing one-on-one interactions with your consumers.
The USPS provides commercial marketing mail service, allowing businesses to send marketing materials such as printed matter, flyers, newsletters, catalogues, and so on. USPS Marketing Mail offers low-cost mailings of 200 or more pieces or 50 or more pounds of mail. If you're not sure if this is right for your company, pick one small location to test the market. Before broad distribution, you'd better do several tests with minor tweaks to determine the most successful mix of audience, offer, and design. The USPS's online mapping tool and Every Door Direct Mail delivery service make it simple and cost-effective to design and execute a mailing.
Make sure you've defined your target group before commencing a generation-specific direct mail marketing campaign. Don't forget to add the Call to Action as well. Don't merely distribute a blank postcard or flier informing people of your presence. There must be some sort of call to action. Sending a direct mail piece with a scannable QR code, for example, may significantly enhance customer engagement with your product. Combining digital marketing with direct mail will increase brand recognition and exposure. A well-planned and executed direct mail approach may increase the likelihood of a response and increase engagement.
Other free business services
On top of the programs and services mentioned above, the USPS also offers some free resources to assist E-commerce businesses in becoming more efficiently and profitably.
- The USPS website offers a package tracking tool, which allows businesses to track the status of their packages. This service is available with select products and requires a barcode.
- The USPS also offers a shipping calculator, which allows businesses to estimate the shipping cost of their packages.
- Free shipping suppliers delivered to your address Many people didn’t know this free resource. It’s available for Priority Mail®, Priority Mail Express®, and Priority Mail Express International® services. Supplies are delivered domestically only. For example, you can get a pack of 10 Priority Mail Flat Rate Padded Envelope or Large Box for free. A complete list of free shipping suppliers can be find on the official website.
Final thoughts
The USPS is a reliable and affordable shipping carrier that offers a wide range of shipping services. It is a great shipping partner for ecommerce businesses of all sizes. We have discussed many different services offered by USPS, including Loyalty Program for budget saving, Pickup service to save time, and free resources to utilize and increase efficiency. However, I'm sure that every business has a distinct need for fulfillment solutions. If you run an online business, it’s important to understand the various USPS shipping services and determine which USPS services your business needs.
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