U.S. Postal Service

The Postal Service is among the top postal operators in digital services that enhance the core letter and parcel business, but it lags behind in terms of revenue-generating pure digital services. Despite legal constraints prohibiting the provision of non-postal services, the Postal Service should...

Logistics is emerging as a prime means for posts and their partners to enhance their offerings, which could be critical in the face of changing and declining mail volumes. The continued growth of ecommerce packages is stretching the capacity of the logistics and transportation systems. The logistics...

The Digital Age transformed the way many businesses advertise, and while mail has maintained its market share thus far, the Postal Service should innovate to remain a competitive advertising medium. The OIG identified two opportunities for the Postal Service to modernize its advertising mail...

City governments around the country are taking on “smart city” initiatives that use big data technology to gather information and improve life for their residents. It is often difficult for cities to deploy this technology in enough locations to collect actionable data. The Postal Service, because...

More Americans like the concept of drone delivery than dislike it, but a large number have yet to decide. Drone malfunction is the public's primary concern — far more than fears about intentional misuse. Exposure to information about drone delivery correlates with greater interest in the idea. The...

The Board of Governors provides the Postal Service with strategic direction, similar to a corporate board of directors. As of October 2016, only one of the nine governor positions was filled. In December 2016, there will be no remaining governors, unless more are confirmed. This unprecedented...

The information security landscape is constantly changing and, as such, it is critical that the Postal Service maintain information security policies that protect its critical applications and infrastructure. With an information security framework based on industry best practices in place, the...

Recently stakeholders have expressed an interest in understanding how other major posts’ prices are regulated and how posts manage the relationship between price regulation, profitability, and service. The OIG worked with WIK-Consult to provide research on how postal prices are regulated in five...

The OIG teamed with Temple University to examine the neurological response to sequenced ads. Physical ads, shown twice, led to better memory and higher subjective value than any other tested sequence. Single-media advertising sequences (physical-physical and digital-digital) had better results in...

The OIG worked with an expert in postal costing and economics to analyze product cost changes in four traditional USPS products: First-Class Mail, Standard Mail, Periodicals, and Package Services. The analysis compares costs from fiscal year (FY) 2006 to FY 2015. Four external factors drove product...