Most ZIP+4 Databases offered online are simply repackaged address-range lists from the United States Postal Service (USPS).  But the USPS data groups millions of ZIP+4 codes into single records for things like blocks of post office boxes and does not include location coordinates.  Breaking out an additional 13 million ZIP+4 codes and including centroids is important information for businesses looking for a comprehensive dataset to enable granular segmentation and geo-targeting capabilities.  National and regional direct marketing firms, political campaigns and any company looking to micro-target households based on proximity can purchase the database with just a few mouse clicks.  Typically a database with this quality and coverage costs much more and is sold as part of an enterprise license.

We are excited to make it easier and more cost effective for firms looking for comprehensive ZIP+4 data to improve their direct marketing efforts.  Our new ZIP+4 offerings complement our full suite of online postal map and data products, including 5-digit ZIP Codes, Carrier Routes, and custom maps.

Maponics ZIP+4 Database products are available immediately through the Maponics Online Store.  Product options include:

ZIP+4 Database Premium Plus Centroids (Nationwide)
ZIP+4 Database Premium Plus Centroids (By State)
ZIP+4 Database Premium (Nationwide)

Don’t hesitate to give us a call with questions and post comments here.

• consolidating facilities (post offices, sorting centers, etc.)
• reducing staff (mostly by not filling open positions)
• reorganizing the areas covered by postal carrier routes* and ZIP Codes (to increase efficiency, and address facility closings and staffing reductions)
• changing mail delivery schedules and post office retail hours

The result of this postal reorganization has been higher quarterly ZIP Code and carrier route change rates, especially in the second half of 2009.  As an example, in the three month period between this Maponics ZIP Code data release and the last one in August, 12% of all Cook County, IL ZIP Codes have been changed**.  And since the February Maponics data release, 22% of these ZIP Codes have been changed.

The table below shows the % of ZIP Codes that have been changed since Maponics’ February ZIP Code data release for the five Cook County postal towns*** with the most ZIP codes.

What type of on-the-ground alterations cause ZIP Code data changes? Here are some announcements issued by the USPS that pertain specifically to Cook County postal reorganization:

• One major Chicago-area delivery infrastructure change still on the table is a consolidation of outgoing mail operations between the Palatine Processing and Distribution Center (in Cook County) and the Carol Stream Processing and Distribution Center (in Dupage County). This could affect as many as 600 ZIP Codes and 1-200 postal worker positions:
  http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/localnews/il/2009/il_2009_0908.htm
  http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/localnews/il/2009/il_2009_0610.htm

• The USPS has even been selling Chicago-based assets, in order to reduce recurring costs:
  http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/localnews/il/2009/il_2009_0827.htm

Most of the Chicago area ZIP Code data changes seen in the last quarter were the result of ZIP Code and carrier route delivery area reconfigurations. But the image above shows an example of ZIP coverage area change in Henry County, IL that is the result of a postal branch closure. In this case, the Ophiem, IL post office was closed, and the surrounding ZIP Codes (including 61413, pictured) were expanded to pick up the delivery area no longer served by the Ophiem post office.

It is expected that the U.S. Postal Service reorganization will continue well into 2010. In fact, there are currently 437 post offices still under evaluation for closure. This week, Maponics issued a press release discussing the record number of changes we’re seeing in our postal data.  You can read that announcement here, or learn more about our ZIP code data here.

Some definitions:

*   Carrier Route: the building block of a ZIP Code.  The U.S. Postal Services assigns the same carrier route code to a subgroup of addresses within a ZIP Code to aid in mail sorting and delivery.  Typically, a carrier route represents the geographical area to which an individual mail carrier delivers every day.

**   ZIP Code Change: the addition or deletion of a ZIP Code, or significant change to a ZIP Code’s delivery area (the addition or deletion of one or more carrier routes that make up a ZIP Code).

***   Postal Town Name: the town name the U.S. Postal Service associates with a given ZIP Code.

Why Is This Reorganization Necessary?

Mail volume has decreased. The number of pieces handled in fiscal year 2008 was down 4.5% from that handled in 2007. And mail volume has dropped even more dramatically since the Postal Service’s fiscal year ended on September 30th, as the global economic slowdown has taken greater effect. Driving this decrease are budget conscious businesses, which have been sending fewer mail pieces to better targeted groups. Longer-term, increased reliance on email has also depressed mail volume in recent years. The final result: over capacity in some areas, and delivery inefficiencies.

When Will It Be Complete?

A pledge of cooperation from the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) union has ensured that this restructuring will be swift.  All on the ground changes are expected to be complete by the end of February 2009. Many carrier routes will be consolidated. The number of letter carriers, which has already been reduced through efforts to entice early retirement coupled with a hiring freeze, will continue to decline.

How Will This Impact Maponics Postal Data?

Licensees of Maponics carrier route boundaries and ZIP Code boundaries receive quarterly updates, to ensure them access to the most current and accurate data on the market. The early second quarter 1.9.2 release (in April 2009) of this postal data will include most of the wide-sweeping mail route changes outlined above.

Need Accurate Postal Map Data?

Maponics offers carrier route boundaries and ZIP Code boundaries for web-based integration or internal map and report generation.  Call 800.762.5158 for a quote, or to ask for a custom sample of your area.  Also available: compatible local neighborhood data.

Where USPS.com Refers for Current Postal Maps and Reports

The Maponics Online Store is the only place USPS.com refers to for postal maps and reports. If you have been relying on old maps and reports, this early spring will probably be the most important time in years to update. Refreshed monthly, ZIP Code maps, ZIP Code delivery count reports, carrier route maps, carrier route delivery count reports, and custom postal maps are all available from the Maponics Online Store.  Questions? Call Maponics at 800.762.5158.

Who Uses Maponics Data?

Maponics specializes in location-based data and information for businesses, including neighborhood, ZIP Code and carrier route boundaries.  Local search, real estate, mobile, social media and marketing firms rely on Maponics to power hyper-local interactive search, mapping, and ad targeting platforms, as well as internal mapping and reports, including D&B, infoUSA, Dominion Enterprises (eNeighborhoods and Homes.com), Pitney Bowes/MapInfo, Zvents, Smarter Agent, HelloMetro, Roost, CitySquares and many others. The Maponics Online Store, powered by Maponics data, is the only place USPS.com refers to for postal maps.  The Company is located in Norwich, Vermont and can be contacted at 800.762.5158 or by emailing info (at) maponics.com .

Millions of dollars are wasted each year because of decisions based on old maps and reports. We now offer quarterly subscriptions for three of our most popular online store products – and to celebrate were offering you an extra 10% off for the life of your subscription!

You Receive:

1. 25-50% OFF the regular list price on each map or report delivery
2. Automatic delivery every quarter - directly to your inbox, so you don’t have to remember
3. PLUS, for 1 week only – an extra 10% OFF!

Here’s What You Need to Do:

(it takes under 15 minutes and it’s a great deal)

1. Choose your product by clicking on the link below
2. Choose “subscription option” on the product page
3. Enter coupon code S476 as you complete your order

Choose From:

• 50 States ZIP Code Map CD (52 beautiful large sized PDF maps showing the ZIP Codes in each state)
• Carrier Route County Maps (plus Reports) (essential maps for microtargeting your mailings and maximizing ROI)
• Area Code/ZIP Code/NPANXX Database (fantastic way to relate postal codes to telecom info – including the latest exchanges)

P.S. As always, we offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. 

P.P.S. Offer ends 10/27!

We’re offering an incentive for you to update; now through September 30th,  save 15% on all ZIP code maps purchased via the Maponics Online Store. This includes:

• State ZIP Code Maps
• County ZIP Code Maps
• Radius ZIP Code Maps
• U.S ZIP Code Map CD
• More ZIP Code Maps!

The Maponics Online Store is the only place USPS.com refers to for ZIP Code maps and we offer a 100% no-questions-asked refund guarantee.  Visit www.MaponicsOnlineStore.com/September08Sale to shop, or read our full announcement!

According to the USPS’s Postal Bulletin, the campaign had more than 18,000 responders by the end of its third week. Currently, access to this mailing is limited to companies on a targeted list, but you can find some of the information in this kit on the USPS’s Direct and Green Web pages.

Until you have access to your Green Mail Kit, consider our article “Reduce Mailing Waste Using Carrier Route Mapping” which explains how to cut the number of mail pieces you send and more effectively target your campaigns, for higher response rates. To get started creating a more eco-friendly mailing using carrier route maps, contact our professional staff at 800-762-5158 or by email.

Yes! We are the rare company that allows you to select your map’s coverage area and features and also gives you the flexibility to integrate your own business data.

With a custom map from our online store you can choose your map’s coverage by radius, groups of states, counties, ZIP Codes, or census tracts. If you still need more customization you can select your own street boundaries; North, South, East and West. Over fifteen features, ranging from ZIP Codes and carrier routes to streets and airports can be included on your custom map. You can even add demographic information like average household income and median age. The majority of mapping companies don’t come close to offering the level of customization provided by Maponics. But we even offer still more customization!

What if you want a map that included all your store locations or showed the saturation of your current customers by ZIP Code? We can help! Through our online store, you can upload your data files with your store or customer addresses and we can incorporate that information into a map showing the above mentioned features. With that level of customization, your map will be a powerful tool for your businesses sales planning and marketing campaigns.

Excited about the possibilities? Contact us at 800-762-5158 or order your custom map on our online store. Want to see custom map samples? Visit our Custom Map Sample Gallery.

Two of the best interactive tools are the mailing Decision Tree and the direct mail Business Price Calculator. Just input the details of your mailing, and the Decision Tree (note: works best in Internet Explorer) will give you the exact USPS guidelines to follow in order to receive maximum postal discounts. Want to map out the most cost-effective mailing? The Business Price Calculator will show you, in dollars and cents, how the cost of your mailing changes depending on the number of pieces you send, the level of automation you choose and other important decisions you make.

Other cool USPS.com tools and info:

• Everything Direct Mail
• Domestic Discount Prices and Fees Chart
• ZIP Code Look Up
• Mailing and Shipping Guidelines for Businesses
• Direct Mail Research, Statistics and Advice

Need a ZIP Code map or carrier route map to help you figure out which areas to target? Maponics Online Store is the only place USPS.com refers to for postal maps and reports. Our professional staff will help you find the most cost-effective tool for planning your direct mail campaign.

We’ve cut corners on client mapping projects.

Left off a compass rose here. Skipped a label optimization there. Little things that any cartographer worth her salt would know from Cartography 101 shouldn’t be dropped.

[A great discussion got started last week here about the look and feel of maps and cartography vs. GIS vs. web mapping. But read below for a more practical view.]

But the truth is, in those cases our client didn’t care about compass roses (or whatever was left off). With over 100,000 maps made in the past few years, I can conclusively say that many of our business customers care about one thing: making a better business decision.

“Does it Make Me Money?”

If a mapping project costs them $x and saves them $y or produces an extra $z in profit, as long as y>x or z>x, they are happy. And of course, they want $x to be as low as possible.

In your business, aren’t you concerned primarily with return on investment?

If you don’t care about the look and feel, I don’t want to charge you for extra polish just because our training says we have to spend an extra two hours getting some obscure visual thing just right. If it doesn’t improve your ability to make a good business decision, then we skip it.

Meaty Examples

Here’s an example for a semi-commodity product like ZIP Code Maps:

Now, this is a fine map for making a business decision based on the latest (monthly) updates of USPS ZIP Codes. Given the vast numbers of orders we get for maps like these, we spend a little extra time making sure it looks good. But are there things that “cartography fanatics” might say should be in the maps? Probably.

But for under $70 you can get a great map that you make a decision from. You probably wouldn’t want to pay $200+ for a map that more religiously follows some obscure cartographic standard. In fact, we may even want to automate this kind of project to give you the lowest cost and highest return on your investment.

A different example is when a customer wants a high-end map to reproduce in a publication or hang on a wall at headquarters. Most business maps aren’t in this category, but some are.

In these cases, we spend an incredible amount of time getting things just right. Manual labeling, custom layouts and legends, etc. But in these cases, that’s what you want and the extra costs are justified.

What About Free Web Maps?

Web maps have come a long way since the early versions of MapQuest. Those early online maps were, well, just plain ugly. But they were free so the return on investment was still high.

Now, all the online players have really nice looking cartography. That makes the ROI even higher right?

It’s still not possible to create a truly custom map from Google, Yahoo, Virtual Earth, etc. And they all prohibit reproduction for business use. So you still need a mapping service provider for most business maps. But what they’ve done, by making their maps look so much better, is raised the bar for all of us – businesses expect even “throw away” maps to look pretty good.

So in the end cartography is becoming more important over time. It looks like all those years of cartography classes are paying off after all!

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Want to see what these maps look like? Visit our Custom Maps page.

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