What is Mailmark?

If you are a mail producer or printer that provides direct mail, you will have likely heard of Mailmark. Royal Mail launched the scheme 18 months ago with the aim to put direct mail back on the marketing map. An innovative scanning process enables mail to be tracked and monitored in a comparable way to its digital rivals, while the price point makes Mailmark the most cost effective way to send bulk mail.

4 Reasons to get Mailmark Ready by 2016

As we approach the final weeks of 2015 The Software Bureau has summarised the 4 reasons to become Mailmark ready by 2016.

1.       Price Differential is Being Increased
Mailmark is already priced around 1% cheaper than legacy Customer Barcode Standard (CBC) mailings. This price differential has been confirmed to increase in January of 2016 and will be at least double the current differential offering a significant cost benefit. Estimates suggest Mailmark could become up to 5% cheaper than CBC in 2016 and Royal Mail have suggested there will be at least one further adjustment in favour of Mailmark during 2016.

 2.       Mailmark is Becoming the Standard
In a recent update Royal Mail confirmed close to 100 mail producers are now Mailmark enabled, jumping from just over 60 only 4 months ago. During the last 4 months there has also been a corresponding increase in the use of Mailmark. Royal Mail quote circa 2 billion Mailmark enabled items have been processed since its introduction. A staggering 67% increase since the end of July. Managing Director of consumer and network access at Royal Mail, Stephen Agar is also quoted in Printweek saying 18 of the top 20 print mail producers use Mailmark. With such strong momentum, being Mailmark ready is fast becoming a standard among the best direct mail producers.

3.       Reporting and visibility for clients
Marketers flocked to digital channels such as email over the last decade to benefit from perceived lower costs and greater analytics. Royal Mail has developed Mailmark to compete with both of these digital claims. The Mailmark reporting dashboard offers mail users the ability to track their campaign delivery at every stage and better plan for follow up activity. Marketers returning to tangible mail will likely seek Mailmark ready suppliers to take advantage of the reporting and embedded promotional capabilities offered.

 4.       Direct Mail is on the up
It seems that direct mail is experiencing somewhat of a resurgence this year with the Advertising Association claiming a 4.5% increase in DM usage for the first half of the year and the recent interim statement from Royal Mail suggesting 3% increase in marketing mail revenues. Becoming Mailmark ready ensures your business is equipped to enjoy the fruits of this upswing and you don’t lose out to forward thinking competitors.

With no signs of Mailmark adoption slowing and with an aggressive Royal Mail pricing policy there is no better time to become Mailmark ready and The Software Bureau are here to help.

Free Guide

4 Steps to Becoming Mailmark Ready from The Software Bureau today. This complimentary guide provides you everything you need to know about Mailmark including

  • The expected impact of Mailmark on your customers
  • Barcode formats available and which ones to use
  • What is an eManifest and how to manage them
  • How to get Royal Mail funding for your Mailmark investment
  • Promoting Mailmark to your customers