TNT Post launches tracked packet and parcel service in UK
Royal Mail’s biggest rival in the mail sphere, TNT Post UK, has launched a new tracked packet and small parcel service that could increase pressure on the UK universal service provider’s e-commerce growth. TNT Post said the new P&P InSight service comes as part of its Packet & Parcels service, allowing shippers to track packets or parcels through the chain until it reaches the last mile.
The new service is a downstream access product, meaning that Royal Mail itself will be involved in the service as a delivery partner, but a spokesperson for TNT told Post&Parcel this morning that the company is also “in discussion with a number of other parties at present” with regard to last mile delivery.
TNT Post, which has been challenging Royal Mail’s last mile delivery monopoly with its postal service since 2012, said P&P InSight will be scalable, suitable for both small e-commerce customers and large ones.
It could also be used by e-commerce fulfillment businesses working with e-commerce clients.
Customers can use existing barcodes for tracing purposes, with TNT Post providing item-level data on weight and format. Along with a daily file update, tracking information will be available through a new online web portal.
The service promises all the necessary information for eBay and Amazon sellers, and offers item-level data on weight and format, invoicing data and data for reconciliation and onward invoicing.
Nick Wells, CEO TNT Post UK, said the new P&P InSight represented more innovation within his company’s postal business.
“For the first time clients can track any item through our network via an online portal that’s really simple to use and also improves customer service by real time data helping answer queries quickly and efficiently,” he said.
“We look forward to making further developments in our P&P service to meet the changing needs of our customers.”
TNT Post
TNT Post said its packets and parcels service is already handling more than 100m items a year, growing quickly with the growth of an e-commerce sector forecast to grow a further 16% in the UK in 2014.
The company currently works with clients including opticians Vision Express and Specsavers, TV gift seller The Jewellery Channel, CD and DVD reseller Music Magpie and electronics manufacturer Sony.
These clients commented that TNT Post has developed its services to meet the changing needs of their customers.
Michelle Rudisser-Street, head of operations at The Jewellery Channel, said: “One of the best things about TNT Post is that they work collaboratively with us to develop solutions to support our business, now and as it changes. They actively want to understand how we plan to evolve and grow our business, and how they can support us in these plans.”
TNT Post is owned by the Dutch postal operator PostNL, and has operated in the UK since early 2003, launching downstream access postal services in 2004 in which it collects and sorts mail with last mile delivery provided by Royal Mail.
The company now delivers more than 300m items each month, and since launching its own last mile mail delivery operations in West London in 2012, has expanded the service to other parts of the capital, and the cities of Manchester and Liverpool.
As the only major alternative last mile delivery provider to Royal Mail, TNT Post UK’s recent expansion has prompted the newly-privatised Royal Mail to demand that the UK regulator Ofcom protect the universal service from its competition.
Last month Royal Mail said competition in the letters sector was affecting its performance, while competition in the parcels sector has meant its volumes have remained flat despite the growth in UK e-commerce.
TNT Post’s launch of a tracked e-commerce solution comes as parcel carriers throughout the UK market are stepping up their tracking and data capabilities in order to win market shares from UK online shopping customers.
