Page 18 - p2p_win11_flip

18 | p2p Magaz i ne | Wi nter 2011 0870 903 9500
There has
been a marked
shift in buying
patterns and in
the envelope
market, size
does matter.
MAILING
Mailing solutions
It was in August 2006 that Pricing in Proportion (PiP) which
changed the way Royal Mail charged for letters and packets taking
account of the size, thickness and weight of the item to be posted,
was frst introduced. According to statistics published by Consumer
Focus, postal volumes have declined by 25% since 2006 and in the
Hooper review* are predicted to continue to decline by 25-40% in
the next fve years.
envelopes. “There’s very little demand for
A4 envelopes now, customers are opting
for DL and C5 sizes, as they are cheaper
to post.”
Alan Ball Managing Director of Spicers,
Europe's leading wholesaler of offce
stationery, says that the entire envelope
market across Europe is in decline by
between 12-14%.
“There has been a marked shift in
buying patterns and in the envelope
market, size does matter. The biggest
growth (double digit) category is DL
size; similarly demand for C5 envelopes
has increased by sub 10%, whereas the
volume of A4 envelopes sold has dropped
by around 16-17%.”
Ball says that there are a number
of reasons behind this. “Firstly, the
volatility in the price of paper is affecting
behaviour. Pricing infuences buying
decisions and in these straightened
economic times, cutting costs is key.
“A move from A4 to DL, brand to own
brand, makes the cost savings greater. In
addition with PiP, mailing A4 costs more
than smaller items, which is probably why,
on the high street we don’t see as many
A4 envelopes in store as we used to.
“Secondly the business climate is
changing, more and more organisations
are utilising email to issue purchase
orders, invoices etc. And fnally,
e-marketing campaigns are replacing
the more traditional paper-based direct
mailers in many areas, which also
contributes to the overall decline in
postal volumes and ultimately envelopes
sales.”
www.odm-uk.com,
www.spicers.co.uk
Not all of the blame for the decline
in the volume of mail we are sending
can be attributed to PiP. Other
contributory factors include the fact
that frst class stamps have increased
in price by 70% since 2003 and
second class stamp prices have risen
by almost 90% in the same period.
Plus, there has also been much media
debate around why postal deliveries
appear to be taking longer and the
quality of service from Royal Mail.
Inevitably, all of this has had an effect
on sales of envelopes and other mailing
solutions. Phillipa Morris of Brighton-
based ODM Offce Supplies says that
their customers are generally mailing
fewer items and that in terms of staple
stationery items, sales of envelopes are
defnitely on the decline.
“Mailing and packaging solutions are
now what we class as seasonal. In the
run-up to Christmas we are seeing a
signifcant uptake in demand for padded
envelopes and mailing boxes, but in the
New Year we believe that will drop off
again.”
Another area where ODM has seen
a huge difference in buying patterns
over the past few years is in sales of A4
* Business Secretary Vince Cable announced
on the 24 June 2010 that Richard Hooper
CBE would be updating his December
2008 Report, Modernise or Decline, on the
maintenance of the universal postal service
in the UK. [ ]
Bong AB achieves Carbon
Trust certifcation
Bong AB has been awarded the right
to carry the Carbon Trust’s Carbon
Reduction Label on its mailing
solutions made of DuPont Tyvek.
The products covered by the Carbon
Reduction Label are manufactured
from Tyvek material made by
DuPont de Nemours (Luxembourg).
They are the frst mailing products
to achieve Carbon Trust certifcation
and are marketed throughout
Western Europe, Poland, and Russia,
exclusively by Bong AB.
To achieve certifcation and
qualify for the Carbon Reduction
Label, the footprint of the products
was independently certifed by the
Carbon Trust Footprinting Certifcation
Company. As well as undergoing the
rigorous footprint assessment behind
Carbon Reduction Label certifcation,
manufacturers must commit to actively
reduce the carbon footprint of the
labelled products over time.
According to research undertaken
by the Carbon Trust, almost nine out
of ten consumers want their favourite
brands to help combat the threat
of climate change by reducing their
carbon footprints.
www.bong.com/tyvek