The package market has experienced unprecedented growth and is projected to continue for years to come. It is estimated that the U.S. parcel market to grow 6% to 11% annually from 2020 to 2025. Consumers demand shorter shipping windows as online sales are surging. It was reported that during 2020, shipping customers selected 1-2 day delivery service 72% of the time. Some estimates show that number could go as high as 90% by 2025. Another notable trend is that online shoppers want to buy local.
Business Extension Bureau did not close during the COVID-19 stay home order as we are deemed an essential business within the CISA (Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency). We remain open today and are conducting our operations using recommendations given by the CDC, global, national, and local government agencies and The World Health Organization.
The safety of our staff, customers, and partners is paramount and we have implemented stringent safety procedures that include:
We are operating with a core-group of people and understandably our turn times may not be as fast as usual. Your patience is appreciated as we work through this crisis. We appreciate your business and partnership and we will keep you abreast of any changes in our operating schedule as it unfolds.
The Postal Service has so far experienced only minor operational impacts in the United States as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. A temporary suspension of the guarantee on Priority Mail Express International destined for China and Hong Kong, remains in effect since Monday, Feb. 10, 2020, due to widespread airline cancellations and restrictions into this area. In addition, customers may see delays in mail and packages destined to China as well as from China, as well as to and from European countries subject to restricted passenger airline travel. The Postal Service is undertaking all reasonable measures to minimize the impact to our customers.
Please exercise caution and common sense during this trying and extremely unusual time. As always, we appreciate your business and partnership.
Stay safe & healthy-
BEB-Business Extension Bureau
If you’re part of the estimated 800K+ subscribers to the USPS Informed Delivery program in the Houston metropolitan area, or a marketer utilizing it from other parts of the country, you’re probably wondering where it went?! It’s another casualty of Tropical Storm Imelda, but don’t worry – it will soon be back on track.
The USPS is working on linking the subscribers from the Houston area market to the seven facilities outside of the area that are processing mail since last week after the North Houston facility roof caved in during the storm. (For details on the contingency plan and where your mail is being processed, click here.) We anticipate the uploading of subscribers to be completed by the end of this week.
As soon as the subscribers are linked and Informed Delivery for Houston is fully operational, we’ll be sure to let you know.
The final 2014, Marketing for Small Business Seminar Series kicks off next week with with our Blogging class on Wednesday, October 29, 2014 between 11:30 – 1:00pm.
We have compiled results from the over 48 surveys submitted by participants since the inception of this program in July; and are proud to share the results! 90% of the respondents rated the classes as Excellent, 70% attended multiple classes within the series, and 97.3% said they would recommend classes to their friends and colleagues.
Each class covers a specific topic and is focused on teaching ways that small businesses can market using leading-edge technology without “breaking the bank” or having to hire a large staff to execute the plan. The classes (Blogging, Social Media, Two Mails: Direct Mail | e-mail, and Search Engine Optimization) are limited to a maximum of 8 people to keep interaction at a high level and allow for personalized teaching. For details and registration on the remaining classes, click here.
Our students gave specific examples of what they thought was good about the seminars. See below for a glance at a few highlights:
Our valued graduates let us know that they are looking for additional class offerings as well. We are currently creating content for the most requested subjects and will offer continuing education in the first quarter of 2015. The new curriculum will include more guest lecturers and expanded content from the our original series. In case you missed one of the original sets or would like to recommend someone, we will continue to offer the introduction of Marketing For Small Business Series once each quarter in 2015.
We look forward to working with more new companies and expanding our relationship with our existing clients through further education of Marketing for Small Business.
Thank you!