By
Lob
From the State of Direct Mail: Business Insights Webinar
Direct mail is evolving fast, and so are the questions marketers and operations teams are asking about it. At Lob's annual State of Direct Mail: Business Insights webinar, CEO Ryan Ferrier hosted a live panel discussion that ended with an open Q&A.
The audience didn't hold back, bringing up sharp questions on omnichannel integration, USPS delivery changes, and sustainability. Here's what the panel had to say.
The panel:
Q1: Are customers using direct mail to support and extend other media channels – and if so, how?
According to panelist and direct mail evangelist Paul Bobnak, absolutely – and the integration opportunities are broader than most people realize.
Direct mail works best when it's not operating in isolation. Pairing it with an email program is a natural starting point, but the possibilities extend well beyond that. Video, digital ads, and a range of other channels can all be woven together with mail to create a more cohesive customer experience.
For teams just getting started with omnichannel integration, Paul's recommendation was to begin with Informed Delivery, the USPS program that sends recipients a digital preview of their incoming mail. It's a low-barrier entry point that lets you see how mail and digital can work together, and build out from there.
Q2: Is there a way to stay informed about changes to SCF and DDU deliveries?
Chris Karpenko, Executive Director at USPS, replied that the first stop for anyone tracking delivery changes is PostalPro, available at USPS.com, along with the USPS Deliver site. Both publish updates and thought leadership for the industry.
For context, SCFs (Sectional Center Facilities) and DDUs (Destination Delivery Units) are USPS processing and delivery facilities where mailers can drop shipments directly, bypassing parts of the postal network to get mail delivered faster and more reliably. Beyond that, having a strong relationship with your mail service provider is invaluable. A good partner will stay on top of these changes so you don't have to do it alone, according to Chris.
The reassuring context: SCF and DDU drop shipping remains one of the most reliable ways to get mail delivered. Marketing mail dropped to an SCF or DDU is currently hitting around 93% on-time in-home delivery, essentially next-day once it enters the stream. While some zip code range adjustments are happening at the network level, teams dropping directly to SCF or DDU rarely confront that variability.
Q3: How is the direct mail industry addressing sustainability?
As explained by Lob’s Chief Supply Chain Officer Brent Hagen, more than people might expect. Brent shared a firsthand account from a visit to one of Europe's largest paper mills in Finland, an operation that is fully end-to-end carbon neutral. CO2 from smokestacks gets captured and converted into energy. Steam generated during paper production heats the surrounding streets and homes.
And that ethos is making its way into the production side, too. Lob's Print Delivery Network includes fully carbon-neutral manufacturers who have engineered their facilities to offset their footprint without relying on carbon credits.
Lob CEO Ryan Ferrier added an important point that often gets overlooked: digital isn't automatically the greener choice. A single ChatGPT query uses roughly 10 times the energy of a standard Google search, and the energy demands of AI data centers are growing fast, with little of it renewable. Meanwhile, paper is recyclable, inks have improved dramatically, and the direct mail supply chain is actively investing in ESG.
The bigger opportunity, Ryan noted, is in smarter targeting. When mail is more personalized and relevant, brands need to send less of it, which is good for ROI and good for the planet.
Want to dive deeper into the data from the webinar? Read the full State of Direct Mail: Business Insights 2026 report now.
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