U.S. Postal Service

Advertising mail, an important tool for businesses and nonprofit organizations, is critically important to the U.S. Postal Service’s bottom line, generating $19.4 billion in revenue in FY 2015. Most ad mail is sent as Standard Mail, which declined 20 percent in volume during the Great Recession and...

While post offices sold $21 billion worth of money orders in fiscal year 2015, money order sales have plunged 60 percent from their peak in 2000.About 1,200 high volume post offices grew money order sales by at least 10 percent in the past 3 years, showing that improving sales is achievable. Selling...

Despite $216 million in revenue from providing passport services in FY 2015, the Postal Service has been processing fewer passport applications than before. The OIG has identified three areas of customer service that could be improved with simple changes, leading to a greater number of passport...

The future of advertising mail—currently a critical product for the Postal Service’s bottom line—is uncertain. Key external factors impacting future advertising mail volumes are: the national economy, the growth of Internet advertising, and the degree to which Internet advertising displaces...

Blockchain technology is a new way to transfer any kind of data or information in a fast, tracked, and secure manner without need for an intermediary. Major companies, such as Citibank and Australia Post, are beginning to research and experiment with this technology in order to provide new and more...

Technology is driving a heightened level of innovation in product and service offerings in the current last mile parcel delivery market and is transforming the way delivery providers interact with their customers. It has empowered customers with tools like real-time tracking, and has raised their...

Users are an important asset to digital platform companies such as Google, Facebook, and Snapchat. The way digital platforms treat their users offers valuable lessons for the Postal Service and the postal platform: focus on the platform experience, strengthen user engagement, and maximize the value...

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...