USPS Package Business Shining Light Amid Record Loss

| Jim Tierney

Although the U.S. Postal Service incurred its worst net loss ever — nearly $16 billion for fiscal year 2012 — there was at least one shining light: its shipping and package business. Find out how the USPS has grown this segment.

Amazon Launches U.K. Parcel Delivery Program

| Jim Tierney

Amazon.com will soon begin delivery parcels to its U.K. online customers at nearly 5,000 convenience stores through collection network CollectPlus. Amazon began the trial run program a few months ago on a small scale with books and clothing and has now rolled it out nationwide.

Twittersphere is Abuzz with the Marketplace Equity Act

| MCM staff

Congress is scheduled to bring the Marketplace Equity Act up for discussion on Tuesday. If it passes, merchants who sell goods online will be required to collect sales tax from their customers. Here’s a look at Twitter talk about #efairness.

Executive Roundtable: Agility, Speed, Realtime

| Jim Tierney

Our roundtable participants were Chris Bradley, CEO of Cuddledown; Paal Gisholt, CEO of SmartPak; Guy van Rooyen, president of Donna Salyers Fabulous Furs; Susan Landay, president and CEO of Trainers Warehouse; Matt Glerum, president of TravelSmith Outfitters; Phyliss Mosca, president of Ulla Popken; Steve Voigt, CEO of King Arthur Flour Co.; Vicki Updike, president of Miles Kimball Co.; Margot Murphy Moore, CEO of 1-800-HOMEOPATHY; and Russ Gaitskill, president and CEO of Garnet Hill.

Can QR Codes in Catalogs Lower PPC Costs?

| Brian Klais

QR codes are the ultimate shortcut, and that is what mobile consumers value most. One of the best shortcuts consumers had available until now is search, which, of course, costs marketers money to use.

Getting back into direct mail

| Gina Valentino

Many multichannel merchants have cut back on or even eliminated the mail channel in recent years because of the high costs associated with print. That’s

Report: USPS Can Save $4.5B with Curbside Delivery

| Jim Tierney

How could the cash-strapped U.S. Postal Service save at least $4.5 billion a year? By moving from door-to-door delivery to curbside delivery, according to a USPS Office of Inspector General self-initiated audit to review modes of delivery.