Microbusinesses Strongly Prefer the Public Postal Service

(This article first appeared in the January/February 2020 issue of the American Postal Worker magazine) 

In the United States, firms with fewer than 10 employees make up 75 percent of all employers. With the rise of e-commerce, these microbusinesses are continually in need of mail and package delivery to connect their products with customers. According to a new report from the Office of Inspector General, there is a clear favorite provider of these services: the public Postal Service.

The Sept. 4 report, titled From Home Office to Post Office: Improving Microbusiness Engagement with the U.S Postal Service, found that 70 percent of microbusinesses surveyed said they had used the Postal Service in the prior six months. The USPS is the most popular carrier for a majority of microbusinesses – 56 percent said they ship with the Postal Service most frequently, compared with only 20 percent frequently shipped with private mailers.

An important figure in the report is the strong reliance of microbusinesses on USPS brick and mortar locations; those surveyed indicated a clear preference for in-person clerks over online options for help with mailing issues. In total, 66 percent gave a somewhat or very positive rating to their experiences at postal retail locations.

However, though the Postal Service has strong satisfaction ratings from microbusinesses, the OIG found that USPS must improve awareness of additional products and services to retain its partnerships with these customers, especially as private mailers grow their investment to capture a stronger share of the small and microbusiness market. A majority of those surveyed indicated they were unaware of such services including Package Pickup and Every Door Direct Mail.