The Postal Service offers retail products to meet a range of customer needs, from supporting mailing and shipping activities to leveraging the Postal Service brand. ReadyPost is the postal brand for a full line of shipping supplies offered as a convenient option for customers. This year the Postal Service also began selling greeting cards in 1,500 Post Offices, an initiative that has been very well received by customers.
The Postal Service has over 6,300 convenient locations where customers can apply for a passport book or card. Many of these locations also offer passport photo services. In March, the Postal Service partnered with the Department of State to host Passport Day in the USA 2010 at more than 1,300 locations. During this year’s event, the Postal Service processed 50,468 applications and took 23,344 passport photos. over 6.7 million passport applications contributed over $216 million in revenue.
PO Boxes generated $910 million in revenue this year. A renewed focus on marketing PO Boxes resulted in an increase in revenue over forecast. This nationwide effort culminated in the September launch of a new advertising campaign in four major test markets. If successful, this campaign will be expanded in 2011.
The PRC has approved the transfer of approximately 32,000 PO Boxes from the market dominant to the competitive products category. The boxes are in 49 metro and suburban locations where competitive alternatives are readily available. The change, which allows for more flexible pricing, is an opportunity to test customer interest in PO Box enhancements and to respond more rapidly to changing market demands.
