2025 USPS Promotions & Incentives: Integrated Technology
One of the most anticipated and intriguing Promotions coming in 2025, the Integrated Technology Promotion is likely to be one of the most broadly usable. From nonprofits to service businesses to ecommerce players, there are a variety of options you might be able to use to combine mail with technology to create meaningful connections.
And over the next 3,000 words, we’re breaking it all down.
Background: USPS Promotions & Incentives
Every year, the United State Postal Service announces savings opportunities alongside their Market-Dominant Price increases. Designed to encourage mailers to make use of interesting programs, embrace innovation, or to otherwise change up their mailings, these are always a hot topic in the postal world.
And as we discussed in our 2025 Promotions & Incentives preview article, next year will offer mailers a variety of opportunities to get rewarded for doing something fun.
Though some programs will remain similar to prior years, there are also a variety of shifts and new programs in 2025. And one such example is the Integrated Technology Promotion.
Following our “brief” look at the Tactile, Sensory, & Interactive Promotion running from February to July, today, we’re looking at Integrated Technology, guaranteed to result in some intriguing uses of omnichannel communications to connect with recipients. And as we’ll discuss in other blogs, our goal here is to translate the Guidebooks into something useful in your direct mail planning.
Naturally, this is not meant to serve as a replacement for the Guidebooks, but a complement. Please check out the official Guidebook here.
Got a Question? Leanne Can Help!
Have a burning question to ask our Director of Postal Affairs, Leanne Herman? Simply drop your message in the box and she’ll be in touch!
The Basics: 2025 Integrated Technology Promotion
Discount: 3 Percent
Registration Period: As early as November 20, 2024 – December 31, 2025
Active Period: A Maximum of Six Consecutive Months in 2025
Available Classes: First-Class Mail letters, cards, and flats; USPS Marketing Mail letters and flats.
Similar to last year’s Emerging Technology Promotion, Integrated Technology looks to be a bit more stringent than last year's—while keeping the same ideas at heart. But this one will be a bit different. As opposed to a strict schedule, mailers get their choice of timeline, any six month period in 2025.
For some, it might be an easy program to run. For others, this could require a concerted effort between departments to create a fully integrated experience. And as there are a lot of exceptions, nuances, and moving parts, don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
What Is the Integrated Technology Promotion (and How does it Differ from 2024’s Emerging Technology Promotion)?
So without further ado, let’s break down the Integrated Technology promotion, discussing what it is and how to get your three percent discount. As defined by the USPS Guidebook, Integrated Technology offers mailers the opportunity to “Use mail to wow your customers with an unexpected experience that guides how they watch, listen, or speak to your brand.”
What makes this different? One single discount as opposed to two. A bit more freedom to get creative with your integrations. And the potential for even more discounts when combined with Sustainability and Informed Delivery add-ons.
Eight Approaches: What’s Eligible for Integrated Technology Promotion?
There are a variety of different ways to qualify for the Integrated Technology Promotion—some easier than others to accomplish. For example, if you can find a few thousand affordable NFC stickers, coding a customized and interactive experience could be easy. If you have an easy to search name, the use of a voice assistant could be beneficial. It can be as complex as you want.
A Few Tips before You Get Started
Prepare to Defend Your Piece
It might go without saying, as this will be something that affects every promotion and incentive listed. But for a few of these, you’re going to want to keep samples and proof that your piece meets the eligibility criteria.
In 2024, this has been a heavily scrutinized promotion, due to the amount and variety of moving parts involved. 2025 could also present a challenge—so be ready for the potential of random audits.
Directional Copy
Many of the promotions below require something called “directional copy,” essentially meaning that you need to include a specific call to action asking a recipient to do something to interact with your Integrated Technology.
Often, this could be as simple as “scan this QR code to do [x],” “tap your phone here,” or by writing, “ready to get started? say, ‘Alexa, tell me about [brand].”
Promotion and Corresponding Trigger
One other thing to note, there’s a specific path to design for users. Referred to as a corresponding technology trigger, certain eligible technologies are only acceptable when combined with a specific trigger. And this makes for some confusing combinations.
Placement Matters
Few other promotions are as strict on placement as the Integrated Technology one. So much so that the USPS created certain diagrams in this specific Guidebook.
No Diversions Allowed
A message on all Promotions & Incentives, from Reply Mail IMbA to Integrated Technology: If you want the discount, you can’t include messaging that aims to cut out the Postal Service. Referred to as “Mail Diversion” messaging, there’s a big red section in every guidebook that says the following:
“Mail diversion” messages included on the mailpiece will make the mailing ineligible for the promotion discount, regardless of whether or not the mailing includes qualifying treatment, technique, or technology for the promotion.”
Translation? Recommend online bill pay, lose discount.
Near-Field Communication (NFC)
An overarching and underlying technology within the Integrated Technology Promotion, the use of NFC technology uses proximity to trigger a device. In this, a mailer could incorporate something as small as a sticker that says “tap here with your phone or tablet” to deliver a recipient to an experience.
To be eligible for the NFC portion of the Integrated Technology Promotion, “the mailpiece must incorporate NFC technology to engage the mobile device in providing an interactive experience for the user. NFC chips must be embedded into the mailpiece and be triggered by tapping a mobile device to the mailpiece or waving the device over the mailpiece.”
From something as simple as taking a recipient to a playlist for tapping an RFC sticker to using the technology to provide a custom video, use of NFC appears flexible.
Augmented Reality (AR) Promotion
Augmented Reality has become one of the most intriguing technological approaches over the past decade. A bit more interesting than virtual reality, this allows a recipient to see technology in the ‘real world.’ If you’ve seen a promotional video for Microsoft HoloLens or the mid-2010s Google Glass, those each present the capabilities of AR.
Per the Guidebook, “Augmented Reality is an interactive experience that depicts real world objects which are enhanced digitally using 3-D technology in a physical world.”
And if you were to include a 3-D element, image, or module, an animation, or a specific interlay that allows a user to provide a branded experience from the user’s perspective, you may be able to take advantage of this.
Note: AR is only to be triggered by a QR Code or through an App. Use of Near Field Communication is not allowable, according to the Guidebook.
Mixed Reality (MR)
Similar to the Augmented Reality promotion, Mixed Reality “combines both augmented and virtual experiences through a combined immersive technology that can include sight, sound, and touch.”
Likely the middle ground between Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality, the main difference is that this approach requires the use of a wearable (either the user’s or one provided by the mailer).
To qualify for the Mixed Reality (MR) approach, the experience must be related to the message included in/on the printed mailpiece and be accessible using a wearable.
Virtual Reality (VR)
Virtual reality has been around the longest and refers to a “computer technology creates replicas of an environment, real or simulated, that include a user’s physical presence to allow for user interaction.”
Unlike Mixed Reality, a VR experience may include—but doesn’t require the use of—goggles or viewing devices. Unlike Augmented Reality, this doesn’t require the use of the user’s environment.
Want to give a user the opportunity to swim with sharks? Simply create a mailpiece allowing them to tap a NFC sticker or scan a QR code to enter the experience. As long as your experience can “artificially create sensory experiences [including] sight, touch, and hearing,” it should count toward the VR element of the promotion.
Voice Assistant Integration
Create a customized brand experience using a recipient’s voice assistant like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, or the like. There are a few ways to tackle this, but as long as you can match directional copy, voice prompt, and result (while proving all three are linked), you should be good to go.
Mailpiece copy needs to be clear, direct, and must give specific instructions directing recipients to use a voice prompt to deliver a consistent targeted response or action through a voice device. From simple to complex, the USPS highlights the following scenarios.
Simple Search (Brand Related): This uses a voice assistant’s search engine functionality to find your website. For example, this could be a postcard that says, “to learn more about direct mail and omnichannel communications, say ‘hey Google, go to Sepire.com’.”
Use of Existing Modules: A couple options here. First, option allows a mailer to use an existing module with focused scripting and instructions that guide customers to targeted interactions. Additionally, a mailer may create a customized experience using an existing module with some customization.
Creation of a Customized Skill or Acton: The final option—and likely the most complex is to create your own skill to provide a customized experience.
Audio File Required
Proof is required, and you must provide an audio file attachment demonstrating the voice command and response when submitting the mailpiece in the Mailing Promotions Portal during the pre-approval process.
Clarity & Context
As documented in the Guidebook, two things are important to consider here—clarity and direction. In one example, ABC Travel couldn’t ask someone to go to EFG Cars on a mailer about vacations. The mailpiece, call to action, and desired result need to connect. Second, you can’t simply ask someone to say “Alexa, take me to site.” The copy needs to provide context for a recipient.
Video in Print
An interesting use case, Video in Print requires the integration and use of video content into printed material to create an interactive experience. This is not as simple as linking to a YouTube video.
But there are a variety of ways to incorporate video into your mailpiece, ranging from 360-degree videos or shoppable video to the use of an integrated video screen using translucent paper or within a mailpiece. Here are a few examples highlighted by the Guidebook:
360-Degree Video: Likely the easiest to achieve, and likely the most well known type of integrated content. A 360-degree view videos let users manipulate the view within a video to “look around” much as they would in real life, allowing them to see everything around them with no obstructions or blind spots.
Shoppable Video: Best for ecommerce brands seeking to expand their reach beyond their own site, shoppable video allows a recipient to make a purchase without having to navigate to your website. Shoppable video is platform agnostic but is often viewed through social media platforms as well as e-commerce sites.
Integrated Video/Picture Using Translucent Paper: This technology allows a static image to become animated when combined with a digital screen. It consists of a physical, printed mailpiece printed on semi-translucent paper stock, that when placed over a tablet or mobile device, plays video content visible through the paper that appears to bring the mailpiece to life.
Integrated Video Screen: Mailpieces and catalogs can incorporate small, integrated LED, AMOLED, or LCD screens that can be triggered to play associated video content.
This is by far the most flexible in terms of triggering—allowing for the use of QR Codes, Apps, NFC, or a video embedding tool, and could allow for some flexibility in cobranding or partnership. For example, the Guidebook highlighted ABC Travel sending a shoppable video triggered by QR code that says, “Scan here to get 15% off sunglasses before your next ABC Travel trip.”
Mobile Shopping
Possibly the most nuanced of all Promotions, Mobile Shopping allows you to direct a recipient to your ecommerce website using a QR Code, Digital Watermark, or Image Recognition. Knowing this, there are a few considerations:
Destination site needs to be mobile optimized and allow for shopping and purchase.
Destination needs to be relevant to a mailpiece message.
Purchase must be completed on the destination site.
That said, there are a lot of considerations here. The simplest of these being that a product must be physical, tangible, and able to be traditionally shipped. For example, a pizza delivery would not qualify, as it is fulfilled via private carrier.
Ineligible Items
There are a wide range of other things considered ineligible. The entire list is available in the Guidebook, but here are some that might be relevant:
Travel Packages
Insurance Quotes, Bank Loan or Bank CD Applications
Mailpieces linking to Account Sign-In Pages, Informational Webpages, Telephone Numbers or Non-Mobile-Optimized Sites.
Bill Payments, Automatic Payments, or Online Payments for Prior Purchases
long as they can complete the transaction online and can have it shipped? I have no idea.
A Note on Charitable Donations
For those in the nonprofit community, the USPS has allowed a specific carve-out in Mobile Shopping to allow you to solicit donations and get the discount. Though… there are some specific requirements. Mainly, that a charitable donation must include a reply mechanism or mailed response, either:
A thank you note, certificate acknowledging the donation, or voucher mailed via USPS upon purchase or donation.
A mailpiece containing a Business Reply Mail® (BRM), Courtesy Reply Mail (CRM), or Share Mail (Alternate Postage) enclosure in the outgoing qualifying mailpiece.
This is an evolving concept, and we expect a fair amount of discussion and clarification during meetings as things finalize.
Artificial Intelligence-Generated Mailpiece Elements
The final of these could be the most interesting of them all. If you create a mailpiece or an element of a mailpiece using AI—and document your efforts—you could be eligible for a discount. Allowable for both copy and images, this could allow mailers the opportunity to make their lives easier while saving a few percent on postage along the way.
As mentioned, there are two ways to qualify—using an AI/LLM tool to write copy, or using it to generate images for you:
Mailpiece Copy (CTA, Directional Copy, or Body Text) Using AI Tools: Use an AI tool to generate calls to action, supporting text, or directional copy within the piece.
Mailpiece Images: Ask AI to generate a relatable image for the mailpiece, such as, “generate an image of a 22-30 year old reading a book”
Explanation Required
To qualify, you will need to send specific documentation to the Promotions Office. Specifically, they request a digital file including prompt and output and a brief description of how you used it. You will need to be able to prove the relationship between the prompt and the output, and show that the results match.
Get Even More Savings with Add-Ons
A new program for 2025’s Promotion & Incentives program—add-ons. Providing Mail Owners with the opportunity to save even more when paired with a promotion (excluding Reply Mail IMbA), each add-on provides one extra percentage point discount.
And they might even be things you already do.
Informed Delivery Add-On/Upgrade
Discount Amount: 1 Percent
What Is the Informed Delivery Add-On/Upgrade Promotion?
Informed Delivery is one of the most beneficial yet underutilized tools for getting more from your mail. Opened by tens of millions of people every day, this email allows a person to see what’s arriving in their mailbox at the start of each day.
But there’s a marketing element to Informed Delivery as well. Mailers have the opportunity to offer ride along images that appear next to their mailpiece. And the USPS is offering a 1 percent discount on First-Class Mail and Marketing Mail mailpieces incorporating “best practices and techniques in their Informed Delivery campaigns.”
Looking to understand more about Informed Delivery? Our Director of Postal Affairs Leanne Herman is one of the people who shapes the way it works. Drop her a line.
Sustainability Add-On/Upgrade Promotion
Discount Amount: 1 Percent
What Is the Sustainability Add-On/Upgrade Promotion?
Though the USPS is still working to finalize process for approval, the basics are this: Use sustainable paper, upload proof, get discount.
This can be either by using Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) or Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) verified paper. You do not have to put the sustainability organization’s logo on the envelope but will be required to upload proof in the promotions portal.
Get More from Your Mailing: Sepire Can Help
Every promotion has a ton of moving parts, nuances, and pitfalls. And it pays to work with a company who can help. There’s a good reason we brought in one of the best in the world not only to help clients understand how the postal system works, but to fight on their behalf.
It’s just part of the larger way we work at Sepire. So, whether you’re looking to plan around the Integrated Technology Promotion (or one of the many others in the coming year), need a company that can scale to meet your needs, or simply just want to talk mail, we’d love to hear from you—drop us a line to learn more.