The Postal Service uses market research as a source of best practices to strengthen its strategic planning, research, analysis, and decision-making processes and to enhance its competitive advantages. In a cross-functional and cooperative way, all SM portfolios must conduct and routinely update their market research. The scope of the market’s competition, the variety of performance characteristics of the products or services, future macroeconomic and industry trends, price trends and current market prices, supply base assessment, and the types of distribution and management systems that are currently in use are just a few of the topics that will be the focus of research.