Austrian Post: Distribution Planning for Advertising Mailings

How WIGeoWeb Helps Austrian Post Optimize Their Advertising Planning

Austrian Post has relied on WIGeoGIS software and their expertise in geomarketing since 2012.

Austrian Post uses WIGeoWeb in two main areas, one of which is distribution planning for advertising mailings delivered to Austrian households. You can learn more about the second area, branch network planning, in this article.

Distribution planning involves two concrete mailings:

• The “Yellow Envelope” with advertising brochures from companies, mainly from brick-and-mortar grocery retailers, which many Austrian households regularly find in their mailboxes (minimum circulation: 10,000)
• Other unaddressed advertising mailings (also smaller quantities; often sent out in smaller regions such as individual municipalities or ZIP Codes; typical customers include pizza delivery services, plumbers, etc.)

In 2024, Austrian Post sent a total of 2.5 billion unaddressed advertising mail items.

For the distribution planning of this advertising to be efficient, the advertising mailings must be sent to the right target groups. That is why Austrian Post relies on the geomarketing software WIGeoWeb.

The PostGeo distribution planning tool based on WIGeoWeb

Companies or individuals wishing to send advertising mailings in a specific region can register on the internet platform PostGeo. On the website, customers have 24/7 access to an overview of the available products, the option of precise distribution to specific target groups, and the associated costs. In addition, the most important demographic information for the region in question is displayed on a virtual map. The intuitive tool is based on the geomarketing software WIGeoWeb from WIGeoGIS.

PostGeo displays the following criteria and demographic parameters for the selected ZIP Code, delivery district (= the delivery area of a postal carrier), municipality, or federal state:

• Purchasing power
• Single- and two-family houses
• Families with children
• Education
• Age

It is also possible to draw lines on the map itself, for example, along streets or railway tracks, or to upload a list of specific ZIP Codes to define a distribution region.

Complex Distribution Planning for Advertising Mailings

PostGeo is intentionally kept simple, allowing users to quickly gain an overview of their planned mailings. WIGeoWeb, on the other hand, is capable of much more: It can also create more complex scenarios.

If your complex mailing project requires capabilities beyond that of PostGeo, the experts from the Austrian Post Geomarketing team will be happy to help. They also work with WIGeoWeb and have access to the full selection of software functions. 

Examples of complex distribution planning:

1. A provider of swimming pools in Wiener Neustadt would like to send its advertising mailing to target groups that meet the following criteria: Single- and two-family homes, families with children, and households with high purchasing power within a 150-kilometer radius of the company location.
2. A discount supermarket chain wants to send advertising brochures to every household in Tyrol and Vorarlberg with low to medium purchasing power that can reach one of its branches within 15 minutes. If this applies to more than 10,000 households, the brochure will be delivered in the Austrian Post “Yellow Envelope”.
3. A franchise plumbing company wants to promote a campaign in one area with four ZIP Codes and another with three ZIP Codes. This requires an adaptation of the advertising mailing: The mailing for the first area should contain the contact person for plumber A, and the mailing for the second area should contain the contact person for plumber B.

The Austrian Post geomarketing team is ready to help with these and even more complex distribution planning projects. Thanks to WIGeoWeb, these geomarketing professionals have access to an even broader and more detailed range of sociodemographic data, including data from external providers such as Statistics Austria. The data that flows into WIGeoWeb is highly customizable.

Why the Austrian Post relies on WIGeoGIS

For several reasons, Austrian Post is a long-standing customer of WIGeoGIS and relies on its software WIGeoWeb.

“I am extremely satisfied on every level with WIGeoGIS as our partner. The team does an excellent job of adapting to our needs and is quick to answer our questions and provide strong suggestions. If I need help, WIGeoGIS either provides it directly or recommends another reliable partner.”
Simone Seemann-Ortner, Head of the Geo & Address Service Team at Austrian Post

Another advantage according to Simone Seemann-Ortner, is that WIGeoGIS also provides a wide range of data from external providers, such as Statistics Austria.

WIGeoGIS, and specifically WIGeoWeb, also stands out for its seamless integration with other software. The system is open in both directions, which means: Data can be imported into the software, and the analysis results and data can then be exported and integrated with other systems. This makes further data analyses possible. Austrian Post, for example, also works with Desktop-GIS. Since WIGeoWeb follows a standard process, it seamlessly integrates with other software, such as logistics applications.