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A former Royal Mail postman, who was dismissed for misdelivery of mail, claims to have revolutionised the door-to-door mailshot market, with a breakthrough in tracking accuracy that he insists could challenge major players Royal Mail and Whistl and reshape not only the UK market but even expand worldwide.
Mark Redmond, the founder of start-up The Private Postman (TPP), maintains that the company’s proprietary software is shaking up the sector by verifying leaflet delivery down to a single human step.
For decades, GPS tracking has been the industry standard for verifying leaflet drops but in cities such as London, signal drift of 10 to 15 feet can place delivery data on rooftops or roads. The average distance from pavement to letterbox is just 10 feet, meaning traditional GPS could only confirm a distributor was on the street, not at the door.
However, TPP claims its new Core One Step system, built and refined by Redmond’s in-house team, can measure movement at a single-step level, providing precise, verifiable proof of delivery for every property.
Redmond said: “When we started developing our own software in 2021, we realised everyone was 10 to 15 feet off. So, we built a system that is designed for cities and tracks the exact route to each letterbox. It works anywhere there are maps, homes, and an existing door to door delivery market – that’s around 45 countries, including the US.”
Ironically, Redmond’s journey began after he was fired by Royal Mail for misdelivering the post – a mistake he admits “every postie makes at some point”.
He explained: “I was living in a bedsit on Chamberlayne Road in Kensal Rise. I printed some promotional letters, walked into every shop on the street, and within four hours had £1,500 worth of business. That’s how The Private Postman was born — one street at a time.”
The company now delivers over one million leaflets each week across London, with plans to expand nationally before ultimately scaling globally, partnering directly with advertising agencies and client marketers.
Redmond said: “We’re bringing posting into the 21st century. Our software makes leaflet delivery as measurable and accountable as digital marketing, but without the data privacy issues.”
According to the latest figures, the UK door-to-door leaflet and door-drop marketing sector experienced a significant comeback in 2024, with advertiser spend reaching £182.2m. This marked a 5.5% year-on-year growth, reversing a previous three-year decline in spend.
Approximately 3.41 billion items were delivered through doors in 2024, with over 8,500 advertisers using the channel, including the likes of Virgin Media, BT, Sky, Morrisons and Domino’s Pizza. The majority of door drops are single-sheet leaflets (88%), with a growing shift towards targeted, data-driven distribution.
Globally, it is claimed that the market is worth up to £35bn.
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