STAMFORD, Conn., Jan 26, 2004 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- A recent survey completed by International Communications Research (ICR) revealed that even in today's electronic world, consumers still clearly prefer regular mail for receiving documents, letters and messages; new product announcements and offerings; and confidential communications, such as bank statements and financial reports.

The study, which was the third mail preference survey commissioned by Pitney Bowes (NYSE: PBI) since March 1999, found that, despite the significant increase of households with access to e-mail (from 34% in 1999 to 62% in 2003,) the majority of consumers (66%) prefer regular mail for documents, letters and messages, up from 62% in 2001. In addition, three-fourths of respondents (76%) considered mail more secure than email.

Three out of four respondents (75%) preferred regular mail for receiving new product announcements or offers from companies they do business with, up from the 73% in the 2001 survey. Regular mail was also preferred by two thirds (70%) of respondents for receiving unsolicited information on products and services from companies they are not doing business with.

For confidential communications, such as bills, bank statements and financial reports, regular mail respondents overwhelmingly preferred mail (86%) as their channel of choice, down slightly from 93% in 2001.

"People prefer mail -- it is the most effective marketing tool businesses can use when communicating with consumers," said Timothy M. Bates, Vice President, Customer Marketing, Pitney Bowes. "Pitney Bowes helps companies of all sizes use the mail more efficiently and effectively to communicate with their customers to strengthen existing relationships, establish new relationships and grow their business."

In order to get the most accurate picture of consumer preference for receiving unsolicited marketing information, this year's survey asked respondents what method - mail, email or telemarketing - was their least favorite communications method. Not surprisingly, given the tremendous response to the National Do Not Call Registry, more than 60% found telemarketing to be the least preferred.

For more details on the 2003 Household Mail Preference Study or to request a copy of the executive summary, please visit www.pb.com.

Pitney Bowes is the world's leading provider of integrated mail and document management systems, services and solutions. The $4.4 billion company helps organizations of all sizes engineer the flow of communication to reduce costs, increase effectiveness and enhance customer relationships. The company's 80-plus years of technological leadership has produced many major innovations in the mailing industry and more than 3,500 active patents with applications in a variety of markets, including printing, shipping, encryption, and financial services. With approximately 33,000 employees worldwide, Pitney Bowes serves more than 2 million businesses through direct and dealer operations.

     Contact:  Dan Burris
               Pitney Bowes
               203-351-6477
               daniel.burris@pb.com

SOURCE Pitney Bowes

Dan Burris of Pitney Bowes, +1-203-351-6477,
daniel.burris@pb.com

http://www.pitneybowes.com