Market the value of physical mail
While substitution by digital communication has led to a continuous decline in the number of mail items sent in recent years, we are convinced about the long-term value of postal products for both customers and consumers.
For many, physical mail provides a valuable connection between friends and loved ones, especially when they receive greeting cards, personal letters, or presents. While for those who do not have easy access to the internet or digital technology, physical mail is an essential means of communication.
Many institutions, such as government agencies, law firms, and financial institutions, rely on physical mail to send contracts, bank cards, and other important items for security and privacy of sensitive information.
At the same time, direct mail marketing enables businesses to focus on the sensory experience of their customers, with both look and feel impacting buying decisions and helping to strengthen B2C connections.
Delivering millions of season's greetings
In the run up to Christmas and over the New Year, we delivered millions of season’s greetings in the Netherlands as people sent cards to let friends and family know they were thinking of them. While on a normal day more than 15,000 mail deliverers across the country deliver on average 7.4 million mail items, over the festive period this volume can increase by a factor of 1.5. We are proud that the delivery process over the holiday season was smooth and cards were received on time.
Delivering voting cards for the Dutch general election
PostNL delivered more than 12 million voting cards and almost 6 million candidate lists to over 300 municipalities across the Netherlands in the run up to the Dutch general election in November, helping to ensure that the voting process progressed smoothly. A dedicated election-post team worked with suppliers and municipalities following the election's announcement in July, and a special code was added to the envelope of voting cards so that we could track their progress through the mail network. By integrating traditional and digital communication in this way, we are able to improve the customer experience.
Launch of PostLab
In today's increasingly crowded digital arena, direct mail campaigns delivered through the letterbox are an extremely powerful tool for customers to connect with, inspire, and encourage consumers to shop. In 2023, we launched PostLab, a service that helps business customers develop, produce and send creative commercial mail concepts that set them apart in the market. The service proved particularly popular with e-commerce customers, enabling them to (re)discover the power of physical mail and open up new target groups for themselves through direct mail. During the year, we saw that customers typically began with a test campaign and, after a positive result, indicated they intend to increase their mail volumes in 2024.
Research shows that mail receives noticeably more attention than banners, e-mail, or a social advertisement, and leads to a higher conversion rate among consumers. For example, research has shown that for 100 people who read mail from a direct mail campaign, the conversion factor is 6.6. For 100 people who receive an e-mail from a direct campaign, the conversion factor is 1.58.
We believe that PostLab will help business customers reach consumers more effectively than other options in the market. PostLab is using innovative solutions to accurately identify customers' target group, ensuring the message reaches the right people.
PostNL launches two new crypto stamps
We launched two new crypto stamps in 2023, following the successful introduction of the Netherlands' first crypto stamp in 2022. The new stamps were launched in collaboration with the national postal operators of Austria and Luxembourg, with each company simultaneously releasing its own crypto stamps based on the same design concept. The crypto stamps are made up of two parts, a physical stamp and a digital twin, with the twin an image that you can collect, swap and trade in the blockchain.