USPS Informed Delivery
What Informed Delivery is, what it shows, and how shippers can use it to reduce delivery anxiety.
What Is Informed Delivery?
Informed Delivery works by using the scanned images USPS already captures of letter-sized mailpieces as they are processed. Enrolled recipients get a morning email showing grayscale previews of the letters arriving that day, plus a list of packages expected or recently delivered. It is a recipient-side service: the person receiving mail signs up, not the sender. For shippers and marketers, it creates indirect value. Buyers who use Informed Delivery see their incoming packages tracked automatically, which reduces "where is my order" anxiety and the support messages that come with it. Mailers can also participate in Informed Delivery campaigns that pair a marketing image and link with the scanned mailpiece, turning a physical letter into a digital touchpoint. The service is U.S.-only and free to recipients. While it is not something you buy when purchasing a label, understanding it helps you set buyer expectations: many of your customers already get a heads-up that their package is on the way, so clear, accurate tracking on your end complements what they are already seeing.
Why It Matters
How Each Carrier Handles Informed Delivery
USPS
Informed Delivery is a USPS service. It previews grayscale images of incoming letter mail and tracks expected packages for enrolled recipients via a daily email and online dashboard. Mailers can run Informed Delivery campaigns to attach a digital image and link to a scanned mailpiece.
FedEx
FedEx does not participate in USPS Informed Delivery. FedEx offers its own delivery-management tools, such as delivery notifications and the ability to manage or reroute deliveries, which provide visibility but are separate from Informed Delivery.
UPS
UPS does not participate in USPS Informed Delivery. UPS provides its own notification and delivery-management features that let recipients track and adjust deliveries, but these are distinct from the USPS mail-preview service.
Tips
Related Terms
Tracking Number • USPS Package Intercept • SCAN Form
Use Informed Delivery to lower shipping cost
Apply this concept to reduce avoidable spend through better packaging and service selection.
- Review where Informed Delivery affects your highest-volume orders.
- Add process checks before label purchase.
- Track savings after SOP updates.
Use Informed Delivery to speed decisions
Clear terminology-driven rules reduce back-and-forth during fulfillment.
- Document decision trees for common scenarios.
- Train team members with real-order examples.
- Use presets to reduce manual overrides.
Use Informed Delivery to reduce risk
Strong process controls based on this concept reduce claims, delays, and customer disputes.
- Add QA checkpoints tied to this term.
- Assign ownership for KPI tracking.
- Review exceptions monthly and refine rules.
Key Takeaways
- Informed Delivery is a free USPS service that previews incoming letter mail and tracks expected packages.
- It is recipient-side: customers enroll, not shippers.
- Many buyers already see packages coming, which lowers delivery anxiety and support volume.
- Mailers can run Informed Delivery campaigns to add a digital image and link to physical mail.
- Accurate, timely tracking on your end complements what buyers see in Informed Delivery.
How Informed Delivery Shapes Buyer Expectations
Even though you do not control Informed Delivery, it quietly shapes what your customers expect. A growing share of buyers wake up to a digest showing the package you shipped is on its way, before your own notification reaches them.
Sellers who recognize this align their communications with it: tracking that is accurate and current reinforces the heads-up the buyer already has, while stale or missing scans create a jarring contradiction that drives support messages.
- Assume a meaningful share of buyers preview incoming packages through Informed Delivery.
- Keep acceptance and in-transit scans timely so your tracking matches what buyers already see.
- Use a SCAN Form so packages get an immediate acceptance scan that lines up with the buyer's digest.
- Frame your shipping notifications to complement, not duplicate or contradict, the USPS preview.
Using Informed Delivery as a Marketing Channel
For businesses that send direct mail, Informed Delivery is more than visibility, it is a free digital surface. Campaigns let you attach a branded image and clickable link to the scanned mailpiece, so recipients see and can act on your message before the physical mail arrives.
This is distinct from package shipping, but it rewards the same discipline: consistent branding and clear calls to action. Treated as a deliberate channel, it extends a single mailing into both a physical and a digital impression at no added postage cost.
- Explore Informed Delivery campaigns if you send postcards, letters, or other direct mail.
- Pair a branded image and a clear link with the scanned mailpiece for a digital touchpoint.
- Keep the digital creative consistent with the physical mailpiece for a unified impression.
- Measure click-through on the digital link to gauge how the campaign adds to the mailing.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
| Mistake | Why It Hurts | Better Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Assuming you enroll in Informed Delivery as the shipper | You wait for a control you do not have, when it is the recipient who enrolls. | Treat Informed Delivery as a recipient-side service and focus on your own accurate tracking. |
| Letting your tracking lag behind the buyer's Informed Delivery preview | Buyers see a package coming via USPS but your tracking shows nothing, creating confusion and support tickets. | Keep acceptance and in-transit scans timely, using a SCAN Form for an immediate acceptance scan. |
| Overlooking Informed Delivery campaigns for direct mail | You miss a free digital impression that could pair with mail you are already sending. | Explore Informed Delivery campaigns to add a branded image and link to your mailpieces. |
| Treating Informed Delivery as a replacement for your notifications | You assume buyers are fully informed and skip your own updates, leaving gaps it does not cover. | Use Informed Delivery as a complement and keep sending your own clear shipping notifications. |
Informed Delivery Implementation Checklist
- Recognize that Informed Delivery is enrolled by the recipient, not the shipper.
- Keep acceptance and in-transit scans timely to match buyer previews.
- Use a SCAN Form so packages get an immediate acceptance scan.
- Frame shipping notifications to complement the USPS preview.
- Explore Informed Delivery campaigns if you send direct mail.
- Keep digital campaign creative consistent with the physical mailpiece.
- Continue sending your own clear shipping updates as a complement.
Real Shipment Examples: Informed Delivery
This term influences shipping outcomes even in routine orders when decisions are made at scale.
- Apply the concept before label purchase.
- Use SOP prompts so the team follows consistent logic.
- Measure impact with one operational KPI.
Time-sensitive orders are where process clarity matters most.
- Use pre-defined escalation paths.
- Avoid ad hoc decisions that increase risk.
- Capture outcomes for process review.
Risk-sensitive shipments need stronger controls and documentation.
- Use verification and proof-of-delivery workflows.
- Set minimum controls by order value.
- Review incidents to improve guardrails.
Frequently Asked Questions
It shows enrolled recipients grayscale preview images of incoming letter-sized mail for the day, plus a list of packages expected or recently delivered. It arrives as a morning email digest and is also viewable in an online dashboard or the USPS mobile app.
Yes. Informed Delivery is free for eligible residential and personal recipients in the U.S. You will still see the full price of any label you buy up front; Informed Delivery is a separate, no-cost service on the receiving end of the mail stream.
Your customer enrolls. Informed Delivery is a recipient-side service tied to an address. As a shipper you do not turn it on, but you benefit indirectly because many buyers already see their incoming packages tracked, which reduces delivery anxiety when your tracking is accurate.
Yes. Mailers can run Informed Delivery campaigns that pair a digital image and clickable link with the scanned mailpiece, turning a physical letter into a digital touchpoint. This is separate from package shipping and is aimed at direct-mail marketers.
It complements it. Because many buyers preview incoming packages through Informed Delivery, consistent and timely tracking on your end reinforces what they already see. Keeping acceptance and movement scans current, for example via a SCAN Form, keeps the two in sync.
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