FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
Got a question that’s not listed here? Call us at 770-937-0735
PRICE
What’s the return-on-investment (ROI)?
Our customers re-order because the return on investment (ROI) is the highest. ROI is calculated by dividing the total marketing expense by the net sales revenue generated. Also consider repeat sales and referrals that result from your Drive Retail mailings and the lifetime value of new and existing customers. If that’s a positive number, keep investing in marketing your business!
What’s the total cost per piece?
The price per piece ranges from $0.79 - $1.09 per piece depending on the size of your postcard and postage class. This price includes professional design customized to your store and customer, printing, addressing, postage, and delivery to the US Postal Service.
What’s the cancellation period?
To keep our turnaround fast, we start processing your order very early Monday mornings after your order is placed. You have until Sunday 8pm EST to cancel your order by sending us an email or calling 770-937-0735. We do not issue refunds.
Is there a price break for larger volume orders?
Yes, if the one time order is over 2,000 pieces, we offer a 10 cents per piece discount.
Can I pay by check?
No. Because we must pay for postage in advance of your mailing, we require an updated credit card on file in order to use the program.
CARD CUSTOMIZATION
Can I make my logo bigger?
No. Because we offer NO MINIMUMS, we must use a templated approach in our business model. We have pre-designated spaces on our postcards for your logo to appear. This space if very large and showcases your logo in a professional and engaging way on both the front and back sides of your direct mailer.
Can I provide a custom card design and just have Drive Retail print and mail my order?
Yes, we are more than happy to do this for you at no charge, but orders must be over 1,500 pieces.
Can Drive Retail design a card for me?
Yes, for a design fee with orders over 1,500 pcs. Please allow one week design time to accomplish this for you. Check out the details for our Custom Mailers.
Can I edit the text on my card?
Yes and No. On all our postcards we allow you to enter a promotional offer (approx. 180 characters long) and a disclaimer (approx. 150 characters long). The remaining headlines and body copy are static and can not be changed.
MY CUSTOMER LIST
How do I get Drive Retail my list?
Your list is electronically sent with your postcard order that is placed through your Edge software. There is no attaching or uploading lists. Just simply select the customer criteria for you list and hit the send button. Your list will automatically be delivered to our print shop for processing. Simple and easy!
Does Drive Retail clean my list?
We perform Delivery Point Validation (DPV) to verify that each address is within the range of addresses on the street. We format your list using Coding Accuracy Support System (CASS), so your addresses meet the United States Postal Services standards. We update your mailing addresses if the recipient has moved using the National Change of Address (NCOA) database. And finally, we remove any duplicate addresses in your list. In short, we eliminate addresses that are incomplete and send your pieces to addresses that have been corrected by the CASS Software and updated by the NCOA database.
Does Drive Retail remove duplicate records from my list?
Yes, we run a program every Monday morning that removes any duplicate records with the same name and address. So no worries if you can’t catch them all before submitting your orders.
Does Drive Retail sell my list?
No, we are legally bound by our Terms and Conditions. Customer’s mailing list(s), while in the possession of Drive Retail is the exclusive property of the customer and shall be used only for customer’s mailings. Customer’s mailing list(s) will not be sold or offered for use to any other party, and Drive Retail will not utilize the list for any other purpose.
Does Drive Retail save my list?
No, but your list(s) from previous orders placed can easily be accessed CUSTOMER > POSTCARDS > HISTORY tab in your Edge Software.
Is Delivery Point Validation (DPV) required?
Yes, we are required by the U.S. Postal Service to DPV each mailing list.
PROSPECTING LISTS
Does Drive Retail provide mailing lists?
We provide mailing lists for many of our direct mailers. Mailing lists can be purchased directly from this website. Please reference our Acquisition Custom Mailers section. .
We offer both Acquisition and Retention Programs. We know you want more customers but first ask yourself how you got most of the customers you currently have. If the answer is by word of mouth, you should focus on increasing the word of mouth. We do that by building a stronger relationship - sending customers a gift card and asking for referrals. Check out our Retention Auto Send Program.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking "Our customers will come in anyway, we don’t need to give them a gift". The fact is your customers are spending their money wisely - and that’s with merchants who value their dollars the most. Gift cards motivate customers to be a lot more active, and spend more money.
Should I use First Class or Standard postage?
Standard Class postage is included in the price per card and can take from 10-12 business days from mail date to arrive to your customers’ mailboxes. If you want faster delivery for an extra 10 cents per card, First Class postage can take from 3-5 business days from mail date to arrive in customers’ mailboxes. First Class postage also includes Return To Sender (RTS) service for undeliverable addresses - so you can update which addresses are bad in your mailing list.
Do I get a postal receipt for the mailing?
No. We gang jobs together so there is no postal receipt available specific to your job. We can send you a mailing confirmation via email and you can see the quantity mailed in your order history. You can also add seeds (mailing addresses to you and your coworkers) to your mailing list to verify your mailing delivery.
PRINTING
How fast can my postcards be in the mail?
We accept orders MONDAY through SUNDAY (12am EST/9pm PST) every week of the year. Once orders are placed, they are processed, printed, and mailed the following FRIDAY.
Presort First Class (PFC) postage should arrive in your customers’ mailboxes approximately 3-5 business days from our FRIDAY mailing date. Any postcards with bad addresses are mailed back to your store.
Presort Standard Class (PSTD) postage will arrive in your customers’ mailboxes approximately 10-12 business days from our FRIDAY mailing date. Any postcards with bad addresses are NOT mailed back to your store.
Once your order has been placed, an "Order Confirmation" kick-back email will be sent to the contact email address on file in your MY ACCOUNT information in your Edge Software.
Where are the direct mail pieces printed?
All cards are printed in-house at the Drive Retail facility in Atlanta, GA.
Are the addresses printed after the card is made?
No, the cards are addressed at the same time they are printed and before they are UV coated.
Can I print the addresses on the cards myself or apply an address label to my postcards?
No, we do not allow third parties to address, label, or deliver our cards to the USPS.
Does Drive Retail print other layouts?
The postcard comes in only two shapes, regular-sized (5.5" x 8.5") and over-sized (5.5" x 11"). We do, however, provide many other printed products including enveloped invitations.
What is the offer?
The offer is the gift or incentive that motivates the customer to visit your store.
When should the offer expire?
Generally it is a good idea for the offer to expire 30 to 60 days from mail date, however, you can enter longer offer periods based on your communication objectives.
Which offer should I use?
We recommend that you continuously test several different offers to see which ones work best! You should test dollar based offers that equate to between 10% and 50% of your average customer purchase. For example if your average sale is $250 you should try $25 off any $250 purchase and $50 off any $500 purchase - you should test 2 offers in each mailing (split your mailing list in half and place 2 orders with 2 different offers) until you find the offer with the best return on investment (ROI).
Don’t make the mistake of thinking your customer will only use the promotional offer on your postcards for the gift amount and you will lose money. Yes, some will, but it’s the average sale per card redeemed that counts. Don’t be afraid, your customer is not out to get you, as we have proven in thousands of campaigns.
What disclaimer should I use?
Only the basics. Here are a few examples: See store for details. Offer valid with this card only. Not valid with any other offer. Limit one coupon per purchase.
The offers that get the best response have no strings attached. People do read the fine print and each restriction reduces the attractiveness of your offer and is a response killer. Avoid restricting your offer.
