Businesses today face increased pressure to optimize return from their direct marketing investment and convert consumer interest into actual purchase. To help marketers effectively reach their target customers, Canada Post has developed a new “Target to Order” tool. The location intelligence application leverages ESRI geographic information system (GIS) technology, which integrates addressing with demographic data to better target the delivery of unaddressed advertising mail. For its innovative application, ESRI Canada today presented Canada Post with an Award of Excellence in GIS.
“Businesses need intelligent marketing solutions to thrive in today’s highly competitive market,” says Alex Miller, president, ESRI Canada. “Not only do they need to deliver superior products or services, they also need to communicate the right message to the right audience at the right place and time. Canada Post offers direct marketers this advantage through their new Target to Order tool. While they’ve used GIS for many years to support their operations, they’ve taken it further to enhance their offerings and increase the value and relevance of their services.”
Canada Post uses ESRI’s ArcGIS solution to manage address information, automate mail sequencing, optimize vehicle and letter carrier routes, as well as allocate resources for parcel pick-up and drop-off services. Recognizing the solution’s powerful data integration and analysis capabilities, Canada Post developed the Target to Order tool using ArcGIS Server and Desktop technology to combine geographic data with address profiles, demographic and psychographic information. The GIS also integrates with their business intelligence and enterprise resource planning systems to enable the pricing and ordering components of the application.
The Target to Order tool powers Canada Post’s free targeting service, available to marketers who send mailers using their Unaddressed Mail service. After targeting requests are received from customers, Canada Post analysts use the tool to create and analyze trade areas around a location; map households within the customer’s desired area; and prioritize walks for unaddressed admail based on customer-defined criteria such as demographics, distance or delivery type. It also allows them to map where their client’s current customers reside and find areas where new prospects can be found. Customers then use the reports generated through the tool to make better decisions about their direct mail strategy.
“GIS is integral to our transformation into a modern postal service,” says Alexis Zamkow, general manager, data and targeting products & services, Canada Post. “In addition to improving our day-to-day operations, it has given us the ability to deliver value-added services that help increase customer satisfaction. With our Target to Order tool, our customers, especially those that do not have the resources to perform advanced targeting, can reduce costs and maximize the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns by focusing on their best customers and prospects.”
To further enhance their service, Canada Post will make the Target to Order tool available online by early 2012 so customers can easily plan, price and place their Unaddressed Mail orders.
For more information on ESRI’s ArcGIS technology, visit esricanada.com/products/arcgis.
