USPS Archives - Multichannel Merchant

USPS Syncs Service Levels for Package Delivery

June 27, 2022 | Mike O'Brien

The U.S. Postal Service is shortening the promised service levels for two of its ground delivery products, syncing them with its First-Class Package Service (FCPS), a move the USPS says will drive efficiency by consolidating processing and transportation of volume from all three products.

USPS Revises Vehicle Plan, May Add More EVs

June 7, 2022 | Mike O'Brien

The USPS plans to update its environmental impact statement related to the mix of electric vs. gas-powered vehicles, saying it’s driven by its delivery network improvement plan and unrelated to lawsuits favoring an all-electric fleet. The mix may change due to aggregation of carrier operations affecting its delivery route structure.

Domestic Parcel Growth Much Slower in 2021

May 24, 2022 | Mike O'Brien

While U.S. parcel volume rose nearly 6% to 21.5B pieces in 2021, it was the slowest growth in five years, and considerably less than the massive 31.5% gain in a pandemic-driven 2020, according to Pitney Bowes’ annual index. It also showed smaller carriers growing rapidly but still holding a tiny percentage of the overall pie.

USPS Cubic Pricing a Benefit for Heavier Items

May 11, 2022 | Mike O'Brien

Adding a cubic pricing option for users of USPS Parcel Select Ground product will be a boon for shippers with small, dense and heavy packages but not so much for others, experts said ahead of the July 10 live date for the change. In general, packages must be under 20 lbs. and there’s a 50,000 package a year minimum.

USPS Postmaster Warns of “Uncomfortable” Mail Price Hikes

May 9, 2022 | Mike O'Brien

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said the U.S. Postal Service will be forced to initiate “uncomfortable” price increases for market dominant USPS products such as first-class mail, marketing mail and periodicals, while shippers using Parcel Select Ground can benefit from use of cubic pricing.

UPS van in snow holiday peak season feature

Carriers Come Through for Christmas

January 10, 2022 | Mike O'Brien

After a hairy 2020 peak season, with capacity at a premium and late parcel orders piling up, on-time performance by the big three carriers was strong, helped by a lot of early shopping from consumers based on earlier promotions, as well as improved levels of in-store activity.

Cyber Monday Online Sales Dip 1.4%

November 30, 2021 | Mike O'Brien

Like its holiday twin Black Friday, Cyber Monday in the U.S. saw ecommerce sales reverse course for the first time in memory, according to Adobe Digital Insights, dropping 1.4% from 2020. Consumers en masse have heeded warnings about stock-outs on digital shelves amid supply chain-fueled inventory shortages by shopping earlier.

DeJoy May Be Gone Soon With New Nominations

November 22, 2021 | Mike O'Brien

President Biden is close to getting Louis DeJoy removed as Postmaster General, which would end a rocky 18-month tenure for the Trump appointee and would-be reformer who, it was frequently noted, was a major donor to the campaign of the former president and 2020 RNC finance chair.

USPS Delays Parcel Service Slowdown

October 12, 2021 | Mike O'Brien

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has decided to temporarily suspend a planned reduction in service level standards for First Class package delivery until after the peak holiday season, a week after the Postal Regulatory Commission which oversees it said the plan “lacked demonstrable evidence.”

Why Yesterday’s Carrier Strategy Has Expired

September 28, 2021 | Mike O'Brien

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic-driven spike in ecommerce, a nagging labor shortage and supply chain issues have put capacity at a premium and left shippers struggling to keep up. This report explores ways today’s retail and ecommerce shippers must pursue a carrier strategy that would have seemed unthinkable just two years ago.

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