"We send Science around the world"
"We send Science around the world"
Allen Press now mails over 300 scientific and medical journals worldwide. Continually, we are looking for ways to speed up delivery to overseas subscribers at a lower cost. We want to find more ways to help our clients compete in the international market.
With the development of E-Mail, the Internet, electronic journals, and fax pre-prints of articles, speed of delivery has become even more important for publishers. It is ironic that while publishers race to find quicker ways to process and print issues, the time gained can be lost if shipped on a "slow boat." While our studies show that modern ships move the mail faster than in the past, an increasing number of overseas subscribers would prefer receiving their journals with the speed of air delivery.
The study used for this newsletter was conducted by Allen Press staff members, Sonny Williams, Director of Distribution Services, and Gene Kean, Marketing Consultant and Researcher. This newsletter reports on their nine-month study and answers delivery time questions not answered by the United States Postal Service or expediting companies.
The results of our study showed that more than 93% of the journals delivered overseas by AllenAir™ (a distribution system combining Allen Press in-house services with the United States Postal Service (U.S.P.S.) International Surface Air Lift (ISAL) program) reach their readers within 5 to 30 days. This airlift/surface delivery system includes almost 130 countries outside of North America. For the same percentage of mail sent by surface mail it takes up to 3 months (90 days) to reach those same destinations. Surprisingly, though AllenAir™ costs a little more than conventional surface delivery, it is still considerably less than regular airmail.
We hope that this newsletter will answer questions related to journal delivery, airlift versus surface mail to overseas subscribers, and that the information will be of use in making decisions between various methods of overseas publication distribution.
—John Breithaupt
Division Director
Allen Marketing & Management
Rapid, reliable overseas delivery of printed journals is critical not only in expanding foreign markets, but also in preserving them. For many U.S. based international scientific and medical societies, up to 40% of their library subscriptions and memberships are delivered to overseas subscribers.
With this number of international subscribers, service to the overseas markets should be considered as important as the domestic market. However, for some societies overseas markets are taken for granted or ignored.
A recent study of high technology journals published in the United States (journals from the Optical Society, the Institute of Electrical Engineers, and the American Physical Society) showed that over 90% of the new subscriptions came in from the top 15 industrialized countries. This showed that outside the United States and Canada, there is a strong journal-buying market represented by the major industrialized countries in Europe and the Pacific Rim.
Despite advances in electronic publishing, the demand for printed journals continues to grow with the increasing population. Medical and educational needs in all countries create demand for new technology, new fields, and new journals.
While the U.S. Postal Service and other expediting companies can provide information on when shipments leave the United States and when they arrive in foreign ports, they have not provided data on how long it takes a package to reach its final destination. Our latest study provides this information.
To conduct this study, surveys were sent to 20,000 overseas subscribers. We placed reader survey cards in the 1994 Spring or Summer issues of 28 different scientific and medical publications going overseas. Of the publications used in the survey, half were delivered overseas by the U.S. Postal Service Second Class surface mail (the most common method for journal distribution). The other half were sent by AllenAir™/ISAL Delivery.
Mailings were spread over six months to measure average delivery results from several time periods.
The date of mailing was stamped on each survey card so the recipient could know and record the number of days the journal took to arrive. There was a 20% response rate with over 4,000 readers in 130 countries answering survey questions. Over 3,500 readers (87.5%) answered all questions.
Following you will find answers to the most common journal delivery questions, charts comparing the average delivery times within each country for each method of delivery, and comments from subscribers on their journal delivery satisfaction.
We have used the survey results to answer questions related to overseas journal delivery:
Q: How does AllenAir™/ISAL delivery time compare with that of the U. S. Postal Service (U.S.P.S.) surface mail to overseas subscribers?
A: According to our study, journals sent through AllenAir™ were, on average, delivered three times faster than journals delivered by surface mail. AllenAir™ delivered 93% of the journals worldwide within 5-30 days, with nearly all journals delivered in less than 6 weeks. By comparison, it took 90 days (three months) for the same percentage of mail sent by U.S.P.S. surface mail to reach those same destinations. Surface mail required an average of 60 extra days (two months) for delivery. Only 25% of deliveries sent by surface mail were made in 40 days or less (Tables 1, 2, and 3).
| Table 1 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comparison of Delivery Times to Overseas Countries | ||||||
| by Second-Class Surface Mail versus AllenAir™/I.S.A.L. Delivery | ||||||
| Average Delivery | Average Delivery | Difference in | ||||
| Region & Country | Time in Days | Time in Days | Delivery Speed | |||
| Destination | Via Surface Mail | Via AllenAir™ | in Days | |||
| Region 1: Europe | ||||||
| Austria | 40 | 15 | 25 | |||
| Belgium | 45 | 13 | 32 | |||
| Czechoslovakian Republic | 58 | 22 | 36 | |||
| Denmark | 51 | 16 | 35 | |||
| Estonia | 45 | 30 | 15 | |||
| Finland | 62 | 21 | 41 | |||
| France | 62 | 19 | 43 | |||
| Germany | 67 | 19 | 48 | |||
| Greece | 84 | 20 | 64 | |||
| Holland | 40 | 17 | 23 | |||
| Hungary | 44 | 14 | 30 | |||
| Iceland | 55 | 11 | 44 | |||
| Italy | 77 | 30 | 47 | |||
| Netherlands | 53 | 15 | 38 | |||
| Norway | 50 | 14 | 36 | |||
| Poland | 77 | 20 | 57 | |||
| Portugal | 63 | 18 | 45 | |||
| Rumania | 84 | 17 | 67 | |||
| Russia | 64 | 32 | 32 | |||
| United Kingdom | 43 | 9 | 34 | |||
| Region Average: | 58 | 16 | 42 | |||
| Region 2: Western Hemisphere | ||||||
| Argentina | 61 | 19 | 42 | |||
| Bolivia | 69 | 28 | 41 | |||
| Brazil | 72 | 20 | 52 | |||
| Chile | 70 | 22 | 48 | |||
| Colombia | 60 | 22 | 38 | |||
| Costa Rica | 53 | 28 | 25 | |||
| Paraguay | 56 | 16 | 40 | |||
| Peru | 66 | 23 | 43 | |||
| Region Average: | 64 | 21 | 43 | |||
| Region 3: Pacific Rim | ||||||
| Australia | 66 | 21 | 45 | |||
| China | 105 | 25 | 80 | |||
| Indonesia | 50 | 24 | 26 | |||
| Japan | 38 | 9 | 29 | |||
| Korea | 47 | 13 | 34 | |||
| Malaysia | 53 | 9 | 44 | |||
| New Zealand | 71 | 16 | 55 | |||
| Region Average: | 53 | 12 | 41 | |||
| Region 4: Asia/Africa | ||||||
| Bangladesh | 88 | 74 | 14 | |||
| Egypt | 76 | 45 | 31 | |||
| India | 112 | 23 | 89 | |||
| Iran | 101 | 17 | 84 | |||
| Israel | 65 | 16 | 49 | |||
| Region Average: | 70 | 22 | 48 | |||
| Note: Formula for Destination Average of Days—Total Days per Region/Total Number of Respondents= Average No. Days for Delivery | ||||||
Q: How does mail delivery within each country affect overall delivery time?
A: The fastest delivery time recorded was 5 days from Allen Press to a subscriber in the U.K. and 7 days to one in Japan. In Italy, it took an average of 29-30 days for airlifted mail to reach the subscriber. Our study showed that journals sent by surface mail to Italy took an average of 77 days to be delivered to the subscribers. Airlifted mail to the same subscribers could have saved 47 days (Table 1).
Mail sent to larger countries such as India and China had the longest delivery times. For example, the delivery time from the U.S. by surface mail to several subscribers within India was 112 days. By comparison, mail sent from the U.S. by AllenAir™ was delivered to subscribers within India in an average of 23 days, 89 days faster (almost 3 months). Sending mail by AllenAir™ to these countries seemed to help immensely. This ratio was found to be true for many other countries. Sending journals by airlift does not guarantee quick delivery, but it does ensure delivery much faster than surface mail.
Q: How satisfied are overseas subscribers with airlift delivery?
A: Of the respondents to this question, 43% said they were very satisfied, 53% said they were satisfied with the delivery of their journal by airlift and 4% were dissatisfied.
In another question comparing the AllenAir™ delivery services to those of other expeditors, 37% said AllenAir™ was much better and 56% said it was the same as the delivery they received for other journals (some of those journals they received were from Europe). Related to this, delays within overseas countries were due to slower processing by the local post offices after mail arrived within the countries of destination. Many countries took more time to deliver mail within their own boundaries than it took for the mail to reach them by airlift.
Q. How satisfied are overseas subscribers with surface mail delivery?
A: In general, a majority (75%) of the subscribers receiving journals sent to them by ocean freight are satisfied with the overall delivery, with 8% saying they are very satisfied. However, 25% of the overseas subscribers to these scientific and medical journals are not satisfied with surface mail delivery. Many said they would like faster delivery, but most did not indicate a willingness to pay extra for airlift delivery.
While 63% of those receiving journals by surface mail said the delivery was the same or better than the delivery of other journals they received, 37% of overseas subscribers receiving their journals by surface mail said the delivery of their subscriptions was slower than other journals they received. This was, perhaps, an indication that they received other journals by airlift delivery.
| Table 2 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average Delivery Times within U.S. Postal World Regions | ||||
| Using Surface-Second Class Mail From U.S. to Recipient | ||||
| Fastest Delivery | Average Delivery | Longest Delivery | ||
| Destination | Time in Days | Time in Days | Time in Days | |
| Region 1—Europe | 14 (United Kingdom) | 58 | 104 (Germany) | |
| Region 2—Western H. | 25 (Argentina) | 64 | 91 (Bolivia) | |
| Region 3—Pacific Rim | 22 (Australia) | 53 | 105 (China) | |
| Region 4—Asia/Africa | 60 (Egypt) | 70 | 127 (Egypt) | |
| Using AllenAir™/ISAL Delivery from the U.S. to Recipient | ||||
| Fastest Delivery | Average Delivery | Longest Delivery | ||
| Destination | Time in Days | Time in Days | Time in Days | |
| Region 1—Europe | 5 (United Kingdom) | 16 | 28 (Austria) | |
| Region 2—Western H. | 13 (Argentina) | 21 | 38 (Colombia) | |
| Region 3—Pacific Rim | 7 (Japan) | 12 | 40 (Australia) | |
| Region 4—Asia/Africa | 7 (Israel) | 22 | 42 (India) | |
Q: Did journals arrive in good condition overseas by both methods of delivery?
A: 97% of the readers responding who received the publications by surface mail said their issues arrived clean and in good condition. The answer was the same for subscribers receiving airlift delivery.
We also asked subscribers how the physical condition of their journal compared with other journals they received. To this question, 17% said that the AllenAir™ journals arrived in much better condition and 81% said they arrived in the same condition as the other journals they received. Of subscribers receiving surface delivery, 10% said that the journals sent by Allen Press were received in much better condition and 87% said they arrived in the same condition as the other journals they received.
Our studies over the years show that journals wrapped in sealed polybags (rather than paper envelopes) arrive clean and in good condition overseas, regardless of how mailed. We found that mailing journals in sealed polywrap was a greater factor in reducing claims than the mode of transportation, although fewer claims were received for journals mailed by airlift delivery. We found the number of claims for lost issues dropped substantially for journals mailed in polywrap. Sending journals by AllenAir™ also led to fewer claims for missing issues. (The most common reason for missing issue claims is late delivery or late publication.)
Q: How does AllenAir™/ISAL delivery compare with overseas expedited mail?
A: After 10 years of studies and working with different printers' and publishers' systems, we have not found any other delivery system which is as reliable, as fast, and as economical as the AllenAir™ program that we have set up. Working with the U.S. Postal Service ISAL program combined with our own in-house services, Allen Press is able to have international shipments moved directly from our printing/distribution facility in Lawrence, Kansas to the Kansas City International Airport U.S. Postal Service facility. Within 24 hours from the time they leave our dock, publications are in the air on their way to the U.S.P.S. airport facilities in New York City, San Francisco, or Miami, for final processing and delivery to their ultimate destination without the uncertainty of delays so often experienced with the expediting companies we formerly used.
| Table 3 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delivery Time Percentages from Allen Press to Recipient | ||||||
| Surface Delivery | ||||||
| Number of | 1-40 | 41-60 | 61-90 | Over | ||
| Destination | Respondents | Days | Days | Days | 90 Days | |
| Region 1—Europe | 621 | 21% (134) | 42% (258) | 29% (183) | 8% (48) | |
| Region 2—Western H. | 65 | 17% (11) | 40% (26) | 31% (20) | 12% (8) | |
| Region 3—Pacific Rim | 413 | 33% (136) | 24% (97) | 42% (174) | 1% (6) | |
| Region 4—Asia/Africa | 40 | 3% (1) | 32% (13) | 52% (21) | 13% (5) | |
| AllenAir™ Delivery | ||||||
| Number of | 1-10 | 11-20 | 21-30 | Over | ||
| Destination | Respondents | Days | Days | Days | 31 Days | |
| Region 1—Europe | 1406 | 29% (411) | 45% (634) | 21% (289) | 5% (72) | |
| Region 2—Western H. | 155 | 5% (8) | 50% (78) | 29% (44) | 16% (25) | |
| Region 3—Pacific Rim | 656 | 46% (303) | 39% (256) | 10% (64) | 5% (33) | |
| Region 4—Asia/Africa | 153 | 10% (15) | 49% (75) | 24% (37) | 17% (26) | |
| Note: Over 4,000 overseas readers representing 130 countries returned surveys answering questions. This chart was based on | ||||||
| approximately 3,500 surveys where all questions were answered. | ||||||
Note: Because we distribute over 300 publications, with all preparation and processing handled at Allen Press, the postal service provides 48-foot postal trailers at our plant along with daily in-house postal personnel. This means that journals leave our docks ready for overseas delivery as soon as they are printed. We believe this is faster than the services from expediters who hold mail for two to three days to consolidate it for different countries.
Q: How does the cost of AllenAir™/ISAL delivery compare with that of surface mail?
A: While the AllenAir™ mail is delivered much faster than surface mail, it does not cost much more than conventional surface delivery and it is less than U.S. Postal Service airmail. At Allen Press, computer software has been developed to facilitate low rates in the sorting and packaging of the AllenAir™ overseas mail. The actual postage cost per mailing depends on each issue's weight and the quantity going to each of the four world postal regions (Table 4). Considering the significant differences in delivery times between AllenAir™/ ISAL and U.S. Second Class surface mail, we believe that the AllenAir™ program provides the best combination of cost and reliable, rapid distribution available to journal publishers mailing from the U.S.
| Table 4 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comparison of the Different Mail Rates | |||||
| Second-Class | AllenAir™ | U.S.P.S. | |||
| Destination | Rate Group | Surface Rate | Rates | Airmail | |
| 1) 10 oz. Journal (.625 lbs) | |||||
| United Kingdom | Region 1 | $0.96 | $1.81 | $ 4.33 | |
| Brazil | Region 2 | $0.96 | $2.03 | $ 2.92 | |
| Japan | Region 3 | $0.96 | $2.12 | $ 5.69 | |
| Israel | Region 4 | $0.96 | $2.62 | $ 5.58 | |
| 2) 16 oz. Journal (1.0 lbs) | |||||
| United Kingdom | Region 1 | $1.36 | $2.90 | $ 6.31 | |
| Brazil | Region 2 | $1.36 | $3.25 | $ 4.03 | |
| Japan | Region 3 | $1.36 | $3.40 | $ 8.45 | |
| Israel | Region 4 | $1.36 | $4.20 | $ 8.31 | |
| 3) 22 oz. Journal (1.375 lbs) | |||||
| United Kingdom | Region 1 | $1.72 | $3.98 | $ 8.29 | |
| Brazil | Region 2 | $1.72 | $4.46 | $ 5.14 | |
| Japan | Region 3 | $1.72 | $4.67 | $11.21 | |
| Israel | Region 4 | $1.72 | $5.77 | $11.04 | |
| Note: Handling fees are not included in the above rates. | |||||
We hope that this newsletter has answered some of your questions concerning journal delivery and that the findings will benefit you as you make decisions in the future concerning the delivery of your publication.
If you have further questions or need additional information on AllenAir™ journal delivery services, please contact:
Sonny Williams, Director of Distribution Services, Allen Press, Inc.
Fax: 913-843-2112 · Phone: 800-627-0629 or 913-843-1200 · E-mail: swilliams@allenpress.com.
Pulp (up 136% in one year) accounts for around half the cost of paper.* Paper mills are attempting to recover from an extraordinarily weak market the last five years. The steepest increases have been in the lighter weight, uncoated grades, but all grades have experienced dramatic increases. Prices are rising faster than ever before, some grades costing twice as much as a year ago. (Fortune Magazine, April 17, 1995, p. 134) There will continue to be increases in the cost, but the frequency of these increases is expected to slow down to perhaps every quarter. Recently some grades of paper have been increasing on a monthly basis.We will keep you informed as the market changes. If you have further questions on the cost of paper concerning the production of your journal, you may contact Doug Wasson, Vice President, Purchasing.
Readers Commenting on AllenAir™
"I cannot ask for more." —Israel, Region 4
"The same speed of delivery as the New Yorker." —United Kingdom, Region 4
"I find this hard to believe! It is faster than an ordinary letter from the U.S." —New Zealand, Region 3
"Please continue good service. —Philippines, Region 3
"We are quite pleased with the prompt arrival of the journal." —India, Region 4
"Time improvement is wonderful. In the past, I got issues up to three months late." —Venezuela, Region 2
"Many thanks for excellent service." —Thailand, Region 3
"I am pleased with the means of delivery." —Switzerland, Region 1
"I appreciate the care taken in delivering the journal." —Angola, Region 2
"The system is working well." —Uganda, Region 2
"Excellent service." —Hong Kong, Region 3
Readers Commenting on Surface Mail
"Obviously would like it sooner but recognize limitations and constraints of system. —Indonesia, Region 3
"Keep on! What is important is that it gets here! Very reliable." —Venezuela, Region 2
"Quicker would be nicer, but surface mail is cheap and slow!" —Australia, Region 3
"A fairly long delivery time but deliveries are reasonably consistent." —Gambia, Region 4
"For the price, a delay of six weeks is bearable." —United Kingdom, Region 1
"Far too long for a five day seas crossing!" —United Kingdom, Region 1
"The plastic envelope travels well." —New Zealand, Region 3
"I think the boat must have run out of diesel while crossing the Atlantic." —Republic of South Africa, Region 4
"Would rather receive journal by airmail with reasonable cost." — Argentina, Region 2
Journal Promotion Series Newsletter · Allen Press, Inc. · Allen Marketing & Management
1041 New Hampshire Street · P.O. Box 368 · Lawrence, Kansas 66044 U.S.A.
Phone: 800-627-0932 or 913-843-1235 · Fax: 913-843-1274 · E-mail: am&m@allenpress.com