E-commerce players at IPC conference see cooperation with posts as key to boosting cross-border business

CEOs and senior executives from leading postal operators from America, Asia Pacific and Europe gathered together at the International Post Corporation (IPC) Annual Conference in Amsterdam last week – and one of the key topics they explored was the options posts have to cost-effectively deliver lightweight, low-value packets, which account for the majority of the cross-border e-commerce market Holger Winklbauer, IPC CEO, commented: “Despite fast growing e-commerce traffic, online sales only account for 8.6% of total retail showing the tremendous growth potential of e-commerce. For posts to be able to play their role in the e-commerce landscape, we have to adapt to rapidly changing needs and expectations of e-retailers and their customers. The participants in our conference appreciated the opportunity to exchange views and ideas with senior executives of leading e-retailers.”

Importantly, the posts taking part in the conference looked at key delivery requirements for large e-retailers and insisted on the need to listen to customers and innovate.

“The ideal state of postal delivery would be a 365-day a year delivery service, including 24h access, harmonised label and full visibility,” said Michael R. Indresano, Vice-President, Amazon Transportation Services, in his keynote speech. “The posts are the only network conceived with the customers’ home in mind”, added Indresano.

Ricky Xue, Senior Director of Cross-Border, Cainiao Network, Alibaba highlighted the cooperation with posts throughout the world and the importance of full-visibility throughout the e-commerce delivery process. “There is a lot of potential for reinforced cooperation between e-retailers and posts when it comes to understanding the needs of end-receivers,” concluded Ricky Xue.

Posts recognised the need to pursue their efforts through IPC INTERCONNECT to address e-retailers’ needs, in line with the new strategy adopted by the IPC Shareholders in the margins of the conference.

“Over the years, CEO’s participating in our conference expressed an interest in sharing experiences and discussing common challenges and opportunities. We responded to this request by providing a new interactive format for discussions, largely appreciated by participants”, concluded Winklbauer.