Postal operators must focus on innovation

“Innovation is an essential element in planning and preparing for the future. Being innovative is the only way the postal sector can remain competitive,” said Edouard Dayan, Director General of the Universal Postal Union.

Over the past few years, Dayan said, postal operators worldwide have shown an ability to innovate, especially in creating services that facilitate e-commerce, an industry fuelling the growth of parcels and small packets.

He cited the development of e-services and payment services as two areas in which postal operators have made great strides in order to meet customers’ need for new ways of sending messages and making financial transactions as they increasingly use the Internet to conduct daily activities.

According to UPU statistics, more than 80 pct of postal operators in industrialized countries and 40 pct in developing countries offer innovative messaging services such as secure e-mail, hybrid mail and electronic changes of address.

“Innovation is an essential element in planning and preparing for the future. Being innovative is the only way the postal sector can remain competitive,” said Edouard Dayan, Director General of the Universal Postal Union, as the organization’s World Postal Business Forum opened today in London, England, during Post-Expo 2008.

Over the past few years, Dayan said, postal operators worldwide have shown an ability to innovate, especially in creating services that facilitate e-commerce, an industry fuelling the growth of parcels and small packets.

He cited the development of e-services and payment services as two areas in which postal operators have made great strides in order to meet customers’ need for new ways of sending messages and making financial transactions as they increasingly use the Internet to conduct daily activities.

According to UPU statistics, more than 80 pct of postal operators in industrialized countries and 40 pct in developing countries offer innovative messaging services such as secure e-mail, hybrid mail and electronic changes of address.

Royal Mail’s managing director of letters, Mark Higson, also a keynote speaker at the Forum, said postal operators need to adapt to different business models as they face various challenges, including market liberalization. In recent years, Royal Mail has experienced a 5 pct decrease in personal mail volumes and a 2 pct decrease in transactional mail volumes. Over the next two years, he said his company will be investing 2 billion pounds in acquiring new machines and improving processes in its mail centres to take better advantage of electronic services such as hybrid mail and others.