Direct mail may include scannable codes in the near future

As advertisements make strides towards a more digitally inclined focus, there are still traditional vehicles working to stay as a credible source for advertisers. One of those vehicles is the United States Postal Service (USPS) which is a big player with direct mail. In fact, advertising mail was approximately a quarter of its revenue in 2013 at $16.9 billion.

According to MediaPost, the USPS is currently working on options to increase popularity of direct mail. An option to do just that is making the direct mail pieces interactive with consumers; this could translate to a scannable code. These codes could allow the audience access to provide feedback to advertisers, receive coupons, or redeem rewards as a form of motivation.

The thought behind this addition is that it can theoretically help advertisers track the responsive audience quickly, and reduce the “junk mail” to unresponsive households.