Thru the Eyes of SPC

Marketers from around the country came together in Phoenix, Arizona, for the 2026 National Postal Forum (NPF) in early May. For those unfamiliar, the NPF is the mailing and shipping industry’s premier networking event with over 4,000 attendees.

SPC had a strong presence at this year’s conference. We had an exhibit, hosted client meetings, hosted a breakout session, and had two great client receptions.

SPC Innovation Center

Our exhibit featured the new SPC Mail Innovation Center where we unveiled our picks for the best of the best direct mail executions from across digital, self-mailers and letter packages. We used these best-in-class examples to inspire attendees and identify how their direct mail performance could improve.

Looking for ways to boost your mail campaign performance? Contact SPC. We’re up for the challenge!

PMG Steiner Presented the State of Today’s USPS

Kicking off the NPF was Postmaster General David Steiner. He discussed the USPS’s progress, growth strategy and foundational role in American Commerce. One of the bigger themes throughout this year’s National Postal Forum was clear: USPS is continuing to position itself as a broader delivery + marketing ecosystem – not just “mail.”

“The Postal Service you rely on is not standing still,” Steiner said. “Because the pace of change in commerce today is faster than ever, we do not get to choose whether the market changes. We only choose whether we are ready and whether we are agile enough to meet it.”

At a high level, the USPS is investing in ways that help marketers:

• Improve response
• Increase measurability
• Tighten integration with digital channels

Utilizing USPS Incentives are More Important than Ever

Incentives have been successful at generating significant savings for larger mailers, helping offset recent postal rate increases. While these incentives certainly help, the PMG is working to find the right balance of reform, expanded revenue, operational efficiency and congressional funding to stabilize the price of postage going forward. He believes if congress would approve the financial assistance recently requested, the USPS is in a position to reduce or maybe eliminate future postage rate increases.

SPC has worked extensively with our clients to optimize their strategies and get the most out the USPS incentives throughout the year. Keep these four incentives in mind to help your business generate optimal postal savings:

• Tactile/Sensory promotions
• Continuous Contact incentive
• Informed Delivery integration
• Mail Growth Incentive opportunities

Many marketers are now using these programs not just for savings, but to justify testing new approaches that drive higher response:

• More creative formats
• Coatings/textures
• Interactive elements
• Multi-touch strategies

Steiner said USPS success and customer success are closely connected: when the Postal Service improves, businesses that rely on it improve too. He also stressed USPS’s major economic role, describing it as a key platform supporting the $1.9 trillion mailing and shipping industry and 7.9 million jobs, while continuing to drive American commerce and economic growth.

SPC Thought Leadership Took the Stage

Over 80 attendees joined SPC’s Joe Carte and our Marketing Mail Panel Discussion discussing migrating to higher performance mail using a tighter integration of consumer data intelligence and digital print.

A number of topics were discussed, designed to find ways to improve ROI:

• Data Segmentation
  • How do you build more targeted audiences?
• Execution
  • How are you leveraging data assets to drive higher mail performance?
• Postage
  • Mailing more efficiently to gain postage savings.
• Testing Philosophies
  • Testing different audiences, sample sizes, packages, etc.

The Best Views in Town

The SPC annual client reception did not disappoint. 75+ attendees enjoyed unusually comfortable Phoenix weather while enjoying the great views from the Floor 13 rooftop. It was a great opportunity to talk to new and old friends. Thank you to everyone who joined us!

Overall, the National Postal Forum continues to be a great event to gain a deeper understanding of how the USPS is investing and operating to keep pace with rising service expectations while providing a cost justified marketing channel that delivers an optimal ROI.