Royal Mail Stamp Prices Set to Rise?

    ESSEX, ENGLAND, November 04, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- OFCOM, the newly appointed postal regulator, has today announced that Royal Mail will be given much greater flexibility to set the price of first class stamps and some second class post.

In April of this year Royal Mail increased the price of a first class stamp by 5p and a second class stamp by 4p. Following today's announcement, postage prices are expected to rise again in 2012.

Despite a 26 percent decline in postal volumes since 2006 Royal Mail still processes 62 million pieces of post a day, 88% of which are sent by UK businesses. Mail remains a vital communication channel, particularly for SME's and is a critical link in customer communication and cash collection.

How can SME's access Royal Mail savings now and into the future?
Simple changes in approach to sending methods, such as franking rather than stamping mail pieces, improving address data quality and pre-sorting of outgoing mail can maximise savings.

Neopost is offering free consultation on mailing solutions that will ease the financial pressures of the mailing budget in a time when every penny counts.

Pricing in Proportion up to 40% cheaper
Make sure that your mail complies with Royal Mail 'Pricing in Proportion' criteria. Royal Mail pricing is dependent on the size, thickness and weight of the item, so postage for a standard letter can be up to 40% cheaper than a large letter.

Switch from stamps to franking save 26%
For businesses still using stamps to send items of mail, a cheaper alternative is a franking machine. These range from desktop solutions to high end production mail machines. Currently save at least 7p on every 1st class letter, 8p on every 2nd class letter and up to GBP1.19 on a 2kg packet. With any future changes to pricing these savings will only increase.

Monitor spending and control costs!
Neopost provide free online account management with every franking machine, making it easy to monitor costs and analyse spend.

Better data, better savings up to 23.5%
Improve the quality of your address files to reduce your costs. Simple on-site or online solutions are available to check your address data, reducing the waste of returned mail and qualifying you for Royal Mail discounts of 16 to 23.5% with CleanMail Advance.

Rationalise and manage mail
Optimise and manage mail content before you print it. By combining mailings to the same recipient you can reduce your number of mail pieces. By adding Royal Mail barcodes and pre-sorting electronically, you can qualify for even greater postage discounts. Neopost's PrintMachine software can deliver both of these benefits.

In conclusion although the future pricing landscape is currently unclear, SME's can begin navigating towards savings today. Further benefits are highlighted on Neopost or even better, come visit us at our headquarters in Romford and we can demonstrate all of these solutions in our working showroom.

Neopost is the European leader and the number two world-wide supplier of mailing solutions. It has a direct presence in 19 countries, with 5,700 employees and annual sales of EUR966 million in 2010. Its products and services are sold in more than 90 countries. The Group is a key player in the markets for mailroom equipment and logistics solutions.

Neopost supplies the most technologically advanced solutions for franking, folding/inserting and addressing as well as logistics management and traceability. Neopost also offers a full range of services, including consultancy, maintenance and financing solutions.

Neopost is listed in the A compartment of Euronext Paris and belongs notably to the SBF 120 index.

Website: http://www.neopost.co.uk

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