Thursday, March 08, 2007
$250 Billion 'Mailstream' Marketplace Business Plan
Pitney Bowes Launches New Strategic Business Plan To Tap $250 Billion 'Mailstream' Marketplace
New Research Highlights Businesses' Missed Mailstream Opportunities
STAMFORD, Conn., Dec. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE: PBI) today launched a new strategic business plan to tap a $250 billion market opportunity within a $900 billion global category called the mailstream. The company marked the event by ringing the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange. The mailstream is the sum of all mail and documents, both physical and electronic, that flow into and out of a business, as well as the people and systems that enable this constant stream of information.
"Not long ago, innovative companies discovered the benefits of supply chain and customer relationship management to reduce costs and drive growth," said Pitney Bowes' Chairman and CEO Michael J. Critelli. "Today, while major corporations, from eBay to Aetna, are discovering the true value of the mailstream, many companies have yet to tap its true potential." Mr. Critelli added that Pitney Bowes is uniquely positioned to help customers of all sizes optimize their mailstream to better communicate with customers, improve operations and build profits.
The content of the mailstream includes everything from direct marketing collateral to bills and monthly statements, from catalogs and parcels to letters, invoices and magazines to Netflix DVD rentals, and just about everything sold and purchased through eBay. The mailstream stretches from document creation to delivery and response. It incorporates a wide array of elements, including database management, sorting, printing and distribution - each of which create value at different points of this constant flow of information.
Strengthening Customer Ties
A key component of the Pitney Bowes mailstream strategy is strengthening communications effectiveness between business and customers. Despite three straight years of growth in direct mail spending, recent indicators suggest that customer responses are down. A recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive® on behalf of Pitney Bowes highlights areas where businesses can improve customer communications through the mailstream. Most notably:
* Nearly half of U.S. adults surveyed (49%) said they would be less likely
to become or remain a solicitor's customer due to poorly targeted
communications, such as addressing mistakes or inappropriate offers.
* Nine in ten U.S. adults surveyed (92%) reported having received
multiple copies of the same piece of mail.
* Nine in ten U.S. adults surveyed (91%) have received offers or
solicitations for a service or product they already subscribe to.
* About three-quarters of U.S. adults surveyed (74%) have received
inappropriate offers or solicitations from businesses in the mail, such
as credit card offers for children.
However, the survey results also suggest there are a number of ways that businesses can use the mailstream to ensure business solicitations are more effective.
* Seventy-three percent of respondents say they are much more or somewhat
more likely to respond to solicitations that are timely.
* Seventy-six percent of respondents say they are much more or somewhat
more likely to respond to solicitations that are relevant to their interests.
"Spam filters, DVRs (digital video recorders) and do-not-call lists are making it more challenging for companies to effectively communicate with customers," said Murray Martin, COO and President of Pitney Bowes Inc. "By leveraging Pitney Bowes' expertise, our clients can optimize their mailstream to reach a highly targeted, receptive customer base with the right message, which in turn can help them gain a substantial edge over the competition."
With the help of Pitney Bowes, companies are cutting operating costs, maximizing customer acquisition and retention, optimizing cash flow and enhancing regulatory compliance -- all by changing the way they manage their mailstream.
To support the launch of its new business model, Pitney Bowes recently implemented a comprehensive advertisement and marketing campaign, targeting customers through television, print and online vehicles.
About the Survey
Harris Interactive® fielded the online survey on behalf of Pitney Bowes between November 10 and 14, 2005 among a nationwide sample of 2,403 U.S. adults ages 18 and over, of whom 2,369 have encountered problems with business communications. The data were weighted to be representative of the total U.S. adult population on the basis of region, age within gender, education, household income, race/ethnicity, and propensity to be online. In theory, with probability samples of this size, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the overall results, as well as the results for those who have encountered unsatisfactory experiences with business communications, have a sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. This online sample is not a probability sample.
About Pitney Bowes
Pitney Bowes provides the world's most comprehensive suite of mailstream software, hardware, services and solutions to help companies manage their flow of mail, documents and packages to improve communication. Pitney Bowes, with $5.4 billion in annual revenue, takes an all-inclusive view of its customers' operations, helping organizations of all sizes enjoy the competitive advantage that comes from an optimized mailstream. The company's 85 years of technological leadership have produced many major mailstream innovations, and it is consistently on the Intellectual Property Owners Association's list of top U.S. patent holders. With approximately 35,000 employees worldwide, Pitney Bowes serves more than 2 million businesses through direct and dealer operations. More information about the company can be found at http://www.pb.com/.
About Harris Interactive®
Harris Interactive Inc. (http://www.harrisinteractive.com/), based in Rochester, New York, is the 13th largest and the fastest-growing market research firm in the world, most widely known for The Harris Poll® and for its pioneering leadership in the online market research industry. Long recognized by its clients for delivering insights that enable confident business decisions, the Company blends the science of innovative research with the art of strategic consulting to deliver knowledge that leads to measurable and enduring value.
Harris Interactive serves clients worldwide through its United States, Europe (http://www.harrisinteractive.com/europe) and Asia offices, its wholly-owned subsidiary Novatris in Paris, France (http://www.novatris.com/), and through an independent global network of affiliate market research companies. EOE M/F/D/V.
Contacts:
Caroline Dennis
Pitney Bowes Public Relations
Tel. 203-351-7210
Email: caroline.dennis@pb.com
Ojas Naik
Ogilvy Public Relations
Tel. 212-880-5243
Email: ojas.naik@ogilvypr.com
SOURCE: Pitney Bowes Inc.
CONTACT: Caroline Dennis, Pitney Bowes Public Relations,
+1-203-351-7210, caroline.dennis@pb.com; Ojas Naik, Ogilvy Public Relations,
+1-212-880-5243, ojas.naik@ogilvypr.com
Web site: http://www.pb.com/
http://www.harrisinteractive.com/
http://www.harrisinteractive.com/europe
http://www.novatris.com/
