IMAIL - The First Class Post Alternative Set to Revolutionise Next Day Delivery

Costs down by 60 per cent and carbon footprint reduced by 80 per cent

UK Mail, part of the Business Post Group, has introduced the only national alternative to the first class postal service with the launch of imail. This new mail solution – suitable for large corporate businesses, SMEs and consumers – will enable users to send physical mail direct from their computer for next-day delivery to addresses across the UK. Not only will imail lower the cost of producing and posting first class items by up to 60 per cent, it will also reduce the carbon footprint of a letter by more than 80 per cent.

imail customers will be able to send a letter direct to anywhere in the UK with just a click of the mouse via a safe and easy-to-use software package suitable for any PC, laptop or MAC. From there, the letter will be sent electronically to the UK Mail sort centre closest to the destination where it will be printed, enveloped and sorted. In fact, users will be able to send their mail requirements as late as 6pm for nationwide delivery the next day.

The price of sending first class mail – when taking into consideration time, printing and material requirements – is estimated to cost as much as £1.00 per item, so imail offers significant benefits over traditional methods. The price of next-day delivery will start from 51 pence per item, which will be inclusive of all stationary, production and first class delivery.

Furthermore, by printing mail locally as close to the delivery area as possible, using a network of sort centres, imail reduces the associated transport needs of mail delivery and the miles travelled to minimise the environmental impact of a letter. imail can also reduce the need for delivery of consumable stocks to individual users and double-sided printing minimises paper usage, whilst printing bulk volumes offers efficiency savings over high quantities of small print jobs.

For multiple items, imail will offer full mail merge facilities and users can even upload a scanned version of their signature that can be automatically applied to documents. Business users will have access to a range of management information data of postage usage, enabling better control of overall mail spend. Furthermore, companies will have better control over their brand through a template management system that allows users to set-up and define a series of approved documents.

Commenting on the launch of imail, Guy Buswell, Chief Executive of Business Post Group commented: “With the launch of imail we have created the first alternative to first class mail, providing a real choice to customers within the UK. imail represents an important part of our business strategy and will expand our mail business far beyond its existing offering.”