Continuing on the course set for it last April when it was sold to Tiger North America, direct mail service specialist Postal Promotions has changed its name to PostLinx Corp. and has added new electronic marketing and customer service elements to its list of offerings.

Announced at the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) convention in New Orleans last month, the name change marks a critical juncture in the history of the company that began as a husband-and-wife envelope-stuffing and addressing business in downtown Toronto just over 50 years ago.

Indeed, the changes at PostLinx, which now occupies a 100,000-square-foot production facility in Scarborough, Ont. and is preparing to move into even larger premises next year, may be reflective of a greater transformation occurring in the direct mail industry as a whole.

With its increased focus on providing Internet-based services, such as electronic fulfillment and e-billing, PostLinx – one of Canada’s leading large-volume mail handling and data processing specialists – is confirming the reality that a major shift from physical to electronic mail has taken hold among businesses, particularly within the direct marketing industry.

‘Today’s technology has redefined what mailing services mean to business,’ says Frank Mangialardi, president of PostLinx. ‘The use of the Internet is no longer only a convenience, it is a necessary means of conducting business.’

When Postal Promotions was purchased last spring by Tiger North America, a firm headed up by Canadian direct marketing veteran Anthony Keenan, the company said the deal would help pave the way for it to expand its Internet-based offerings. Tiger says it is still looking for acquisitions in the area of Internet support services and international marketing.