What if your mail campaign could tell you exactly when it was seen—and who clicked through—before it even landed in the mailbox? At EdgeMark Partners, we believe the power of direct mail goes far beyond what arrives in the mailbox. Thanks to USPS Informed Delivery®, we now have a way to track that journey more completely. And the best part? The data tells a story that supports more informed, effective decision making- no matter your goal.

The Informed Delivery return file does more than confirm delivery. It gives you a detailed, record-by-record view of how your campaign performs digitally, even before it’s opened.

Here’s what you can track:

Data Field What It Tells You
Number of Emails Sent Total digital previews generated by USPS for your mail piece.
Number of Emails Opened How many recipients viewed the preview email.
Mail Delivery Date When your physical piece arrived — perfect for timing analysis.
Click Count Number of recipients who engaged with your digital content.
Non-Email Open Additional views from the USPS app or other non-email channels.

 

Why This Matters for Direct Mail Decision Makers!

This level of transparency is a game-changer for direct mail. You’re no longer flying blind once your campaign enters the mail stream. You now know:

✅ When your piece arrived
✅ How many saw it digitally
✅ How many clicked through to your landing page
✅ Whether they engaged via email or other channels

These signals let you correlate digital intent with physical engagement, which can dramatically improve how you plan future campaigns.

Turning Data into Strategy

Let’s say you mailed 50,000 pieces with a QR code linking to a donation page and enabled Informed Delivery.

Your return file shows:

  • 20,000 preview emails sent
  • 13,000 opened (a 65% open rate of Informed Delivery Subscribers)
  • 1,000 clicked on your digital call-to-action
  • Peak in-home delivery on Wednesday

 

With this data, you can now answer questions like:

  • Is Wednesday the best day for delivery?
  • Do mobile-friendly designs increase USPS app engagement?
  • Are clickers more likely to convert on the same day the piece is delivered?

Our Take at EdgeMark Partners

We help our clients transform these numbers into strategy. Whether it’s aligning Informed Delivery data with Google Analytics, A/B testing different delivery windows, or creating dashboards that blend physical and digital engagement—we turn mail into momentum.

Final Thoughts

Informed Delivery is more than a USPS perk — it’s a strategic tool for campaign refinement. When you understand what’s working, you can double down on what delivers.

Ready to turn your mail into measurable results? Let’s talk! 🌐 Visit our contact page.

For more information about Informed Delivery, please visit: Informed Delivery – Mail & Package Notifications | USPS