The United States Post Office (USPS) is now requiring mailers to update their list more frequently. According to Direct Magazine, "Under the new regulations lists must be updated 95 days prior to the date of a mailing. The previous requirement was 185 days."
The purpose of this change, effective November 23, 2008, is to improve the deliverability of mail as part of the USPS' Strategic Transformation Plan 2006-2010. According to the "Improve Mail and List Quality with Real-Time Feedback" section of plan:
"More frequent mailing list updates to correct the addresses for customers who have moved is another step mailers must take to reduce undeliverable mail and the need for forwarding. New Move Update policies requiring mailers to update customer information within 95 days of mailing will be effective for First-Class Mail and Standard Mail in November 2008."
What's their motivation? Very simple: there's a lot of money to be saved. According to the Plan:
"Estimates of the amount of mail that is undeliverable-as-addressed (UAA) are in the billions of pieces, resulting in well over $1 billion in postal costs each year and enormous waste and unnecessary expense for mailers. Addresses that are incomplete or out of date affect service as well as costs. Even when incorrectly addressed mail can be delivered, it is commonly delayed and re-routed multiple times."
The USPS' goals are also very significant:
"The Postal Service‘s goal is to cut the 2004 cost of UAA mail in half by 2010. To achieve this goal, it is working with mailers to validate address information and improve the quality, accuracy, and timeliness of address lists."
The Post Office knows that good mailing lists are the key to deliverability. Marketers know that good mailing lists are the key to high response rates and return on marketing investment.
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