Overall the industry has done a really good job communicating all of the specifics when doing a blow-in. The amount of inserts that are lost during the fulfillment process is minuscule.
That said, it is critical for new mailers to follow specific shipping. Due to the vast amount of inventory that one fulfillment center is receiving, we recommend that all of our clients use job numbers and specific packing instructions when sending items to the center. Mailers, agencies and printers all need to agree and follow procedure in order for these packing instructions to work. We send a list of inventory with key codes, quantity and job numbers to the fulfillment center to indicate the catalog program a piece goes with.
Another issue with blow-ins is choosing the correct paperweight. If it is too light, it won’t blow-in, it will blow outside the catalog and slow down insertion. Slow-down fees will be charged to the cataloger and those slow-down fees will get passed on to the marketer.
The Takeaway: Light blow-ins can incur slow-down fees that will get passed on to the marketer.
