Mail fulfilment services for businesses | The Mailing People

Whether you’re sending out thousands of product catalogues or a handful of personalised donation appeals, mail fulfilment ensures your items are printed, packed and posted accurately and efficiently.

In this article, we’ll explain:

What mail fulfilment is
Who it’s for
How it works
What to look for in a fulfilment partner (including why our clients trust us to handle their direct mail needs)

What is mail fulfilment?

Mail fulfilment is the process of managing and completing all the steps involved in sending out printed mail. It includes printing, addressing, enclosing and posting items – such as letters, brochures and parcels – on schedule and often at scale.

This service is used by a wide range of sectors that send physical communications to customers, donors or members. Common users include:

Ecommerce brands
Charities
Government departments
Retail businesses
Marketing agencies running direct mail campaigns

For these organisations, mail fulfilment helps simplify logistics while ensuring accuracy, speed and cost efficiency.

Common use cases for businesses

Mail fulfilment is a vital process across a wide range of industries and campaign types.

Typical examples of how it’s used include:

Sending out promotional mailers and product catalogues
Delivering membership welcome packs and renewals
Launching fundraising appeals and donation requests
Offering event invitations and ticket dispatch
Distributing policy documents and statutory communications
Sharing customer surveys or satisfaction questionnaires
Providing loyalty rewards and discount vouchers

Whether you’re targeting new prospects or staying in touch with existing customers, fulfilment services help deliver your message quickly and professionally.

How does the mail fulfilment process work?

The mail fulfilment process typically follows a streamlined series of steps:

Data preparation – Mailing lists are checked, cleaned and formatted to ensure accuracy and compliance.
Print – Items such as letters, leaflets or brochures are printed, either digitally for small batches or via litho printing for larger runs.
Personalisation – Variable data printing can be used to tailor content to each recipient.
Enclosing – Items are automatically or manually inserted into envelopes or packaging, depending on the format and volume.
Addressing and labelling – Postage details are applied using machine-readable barcodes or printed addresses.
Sorting and mailing – Mail is sorted according to Royal Mail or delivery provider requirements and dispatched.

Many fulfilment providers offer a mix of automated and manual services. Automation is ideal for high-volume campaigns, while manual fulfilment suits bespoke or complex mailings that require hand assembly. The right partner will help you choose the most efficient setup for your needs.

Key benefits of outsourcing mail fulfilment

Working with a professional mail fulfilment partner can bring significant advantages to your business. First and foremost, it saves time and internal resources. Instead of tying up staff with labour-intensive packing and posting, you can rely on a dedicated team to manage every step in the process efficiently.

Outsourcing also makes it easier to scale up during busy periods or for seasonal campaigns. Fulfilment providers are equipped to handle sudden spikes in volume without compromising on turnaround times or quality. Crucially, they’re also well-versed in data protection, ensuring GDPR compliance through secure handling and processing of customer information.

Cost savings are another key benefit. By consolidating volumes and accessing bulk mailing discounts, your business can reduce postage costs and improve the overall return on your direct marketing spend.

What to look for in a mail fulfilment partner

Choosing the right fulfilment partner can make all the difference to the success of your direct mail campaigns.

Fast turnaround times are essential – especially for time-sensitive marketing or seasonal mailings. Just as important is robust data security. Your provider should follow strict protocols to protect personal information and ensure GDPR compliance.

Print and fulfilment integration is another key consideration. At The Mailing People, we handle all printing in-house, including digital printing for small runs and litho printing for high-volume campaigns. This saves time, reduces costs and ensures full quality control, which can be particularly helpful when deadlines are tight or formats are complex.

Other key factors to look out for include:

Responsive customer support
Clear pricing structures
The flexibility to customise your fulfilment service as your needs evolve

Need help with your next campaign?

Request a quote today or get in touch to talk through your requirements.

Why choose The Mailing People for your mail fulfilment needs?

We’re a trusted fulfilment partner for organisations across the UK. Based in Portsmouth, we’re ideally placed to deliver fast, cost-effective support for all your direct marketing and business mailing needs.

Our litho printer is less than a mile from our fulfilment facility, which means print can be delivered quickly, with no added delivery charges when supplied by our parent company, Bishops Printers. This means it’s faster, greener and more cost-efficient.

Whether you need short-run digital printing or high-volume jobs, we’ll take care of everything in-house to keep your campaign on track.

We offer quick turnarounds, custom packages and proven results across a wide range of sectors.

“Fantastic experience with The Mailing People! Very knowledgeable, patient, and a dream to work with on our campaign!”

Peyton Miles, Utley Foundation

FAQs on mail fulfilment services

How long does it take?

Turnaround times depend on the size and complexity of the project, but we’ll always provide a bespoke quote based on your exact specifications. For reference, we can machine tab up to 30,000 items per hour and enclose up to 10,000 personalised mail pieces per hour in DL, C5 or C4 envelopes.

Do you handle returns?

We can quote for managing returns as part of your fulfilment package. Let us know your requirements and we’ll look at options to tailor the service accordingly.

Can I personalise my mailings with customer data?

Absolutely. We offer variable data printing so you can include names, tailored messaging or offers on each item, helping to boost engagement across fundraising, B2B direct mail and marketing mail fulfilment campaigns.If you have any more questions specific to future campaigns, just contact us to get the conversation started.