7R Communications Offers Patent-Pending 7R Convertible Mailer™ to Standard Mailers Seeking to Optimize Participation in the USPS Summer Sale

7R Communications has launched the 7R Convertible Mailer™ to allow standard mailers to take full advantage of the USPS Standard Mail Volume Incentive Program (a.k.a. "Summer Sale"). With a reply postcard and coupon/business card or other "keeper" embedded in the back panel, the patent pending, USPS approved interactive mailer is designed to accelerate response rates, lower total costs, and reduce the carbon footprint. Since the USPS "summer sale" is volume rather than revenue driven, the 7R Convertible Mailer provides standard mailers a cost-effective and environmentally friendly vehicle to drive customers to websites, stores or opt in or out.

Wayland, MA (PRWEB) June 26, 2009 -- The Postal Regulatory Commission approved on June 4, 2009, the USPS request for a Standard Mail Volume Incentive Program (a.k.a. "summer sale"). The program provides a 30% postage rebate to qualified mailers on incremental standard mail volume from July 1st, 2009 to September 30th, 2009. Approximately 3,200 standard mail permit holders qualified for the summer sale by having mailed at least one million standard mail pieces from October 1st, 2007 to March 31st, 2008. The USPS will penalize mailers that mail less standard mail in October 2009 than October 2008. Consequently, 7R Communications forecasts that the optimal mix for those permit holders taking advantage of the "summer sale" will be to increase their percentage of letters versus flats during the summer sale and the month of October.

Short lead times for July mailings, the ease of generating creative copy for a standard mail letter versus a full catalog, and the availability of uncoated paper versus coated/supercalendered paper will encourage mailers seeking to accelerate their July volumes to turn to standard letters to drive additional traffic to their websites and retail stores.  Since a mailer's "summer sale" rebate is based on the volume of pieces mailed and not the postage paid, look for further migration from flats to letters in the month of October. Standard mail letters are significantly less expensive to produce and mail than flats. No mailer wants to lose their hard earned summer discounts by failing to keep their October volume at least equal to their previous year's level so letters will increase as a stop gap measure.

Derek Waterhouse, Vice President of Worcester Envelope and a 7R Communications licensee, notes that "adding more standard letters to the mix of standard mail may have surprising benefits as it allows the mailer the opportunity to qualify prospects and scrub their house lists at lower total costs."

According to the USPS publication "Revenue, Pieces and Weight By Classes of Mail", the average standard letter historically weighs under one ounce while the average standard flat weighs about three ounces.

"In addition to the cost advantages," observes Brook Spaulding, Principal and CTO of 7R Communications, "the stimulation of letters by the USPS 'summer sale' also has sustainability advantages."

Steve Brocker, Western States Envelope's VP of Sales & Marketing and another 7R Communications licensee concludes, "it is all about the cost per response... if the cost per response is favorable - especially through innovative design and copy - we will see more USPS automation approved letters going forward and that is a win-win for the environment, the USPS, and the businesses and non-profit communities that depend upon standard mail."

About 7R Communications: 
7R Communications is a woman-owned business that licenses a suite of patent pending, USPS approved mailers designed to accelerate higher response rates, lower total costs, and reduce the carbon footprint.   Its 7R Convertible Mailer™ processes as a normal outbound #10 or 6 x 9 booklet envelope, but it actually embeds a reply post card, coupon and other "premiums" that drive recipients to a web site, promote special events, complement loyalty rewards programs, and/or permit special in-store redemption. http://www.7rcommunications.com

Contact:
Carolyn Thomas, Founder and Principal
7R Communications
781.706.7268 phone
781.642.7895 fax
www.7rcommunications.com

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