Royal Mail courts online shoppers with parcel collection

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Royal Mail courts online shoppers with parcel collection from Post Offices

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Online shoppers will be able to pick up purchases from their local Post Office as part of an attempt by the Royal Mail to attract web retailers with more flexible delivery options.

It said 10,500 Post Offices will be part of the “Click and Collect” initiative, out of the nationwide network of 11,800.

A spokesman said the Royal Mail was in talks with large online retailers to encourage them to include delivery to a Post Office as an option on their websites this year. It plans to extend the scheme to smaller players next year. The service will not directly contribute revenues, he added.

It is the latest attempt by the Royal Mail to modernise its parcel service, after Ofcom relaxed regulations last year to allow delivery to neighbours.

“We are committed to developing services to ensure we meet the changing demands of online retailers and their customers,” said Nick Landon, managing director of Royal Mail Parcels.

Later this summer more than 4,000 participating Post Offices will allow online shoppers to collect their purchases outside normal opening hours and as late as 11pm.


Online shopping grew nearly 15pc last year to hit £31.1bn, or more than a tenth of all retailing, according to Verdict UK. By 2017 it is expected to account for 15pc of all sales.

Royal Mail aims to increase its share of the parcel market as the number of letters sent continues to decline as a result of the rise of email, text messaging and social networks. The letters market shrunk 6pc by volume last year, but Royal Mail delivered 6pc more parcels.

Click and Collect is designed to help Royal Mail compete in a parcel delivery market that already provides several major retailers with similar services. Amazon offers delivery to 5,000 convenience stores in Yodel’s Collect+ network, for instance.

Growing Royal Mail’s parcels business amid competition from the private sector is a key part of chief executive Moya Greene's plan to attract investors. She is expected to lead a stockmarket listing later this year.

Online retail helped drive Royal Mail’s pre-tax profits up 61pc to £324m, its annual report revealed last week. Parcel revenues grew 14pc to account for almost half the total.

Jo Swinson, the Postal Affairs Minister, said Click and Collect was “a great example of how the expanding digital market is creating commercial opportunities to build a sustainable future for the Post Office and Royal Mail”.

[SP115]

[andybfc]

...The beginning of the end for delivieries?

[Sidley]

And how much is your average mom and pop post office going to earn per parcel? Not enough to be an ersatz callers office.

[db]

...The beginning of the end for delivieries?

I believe it will be for winning customers back that use Hermes etc

[Lounge Lizard]

"Later this summer more than 4,000 participating Post Offices will allow online shoppers to collect their purchases" but how many of these 4,000 participating Post Offices will have space for the parcels ?

[DGP1]

Can't people already collect packets from their local post office?

[britwrit]

They can but you have to wait until a delivery has been attempted and a card left. This sounds like an easier arrangement if you're out at odd hours and you work somewhere (like, I don't know, a mail centre) that won't let you send parcels there.

[subbie]

Its all lies......they haven't even asked us if we want to play.

Mind you if the price is right we might, and I mean £'s per item not 0.p per item

How can RM get away with making such claims when they haven't even secured a deal with those who will provide such a service, its misrepresentation.

Subbie

[Lounge Lizard]

Its all lies......they haven't even asked us if we want to play.

Mind you if the price is right we might, and I mean £'s per item not 0.p per item

How can RM get away with making such claims when they haven't even secured a deal with those who will provide such a service, its misrepresentation.

Subbie

Or maybe you are not one of the 10,500 Post Offices out of the nationwide network of 11,800 that will be part of the “Click and Collect” initiative.

[subbie]

Who would know?

This is the corporate equivalent of blowing the whistle and going over the top, just to find all your troops still sitting in the trench, looking at you, going

subbie

[UnhappyGremlin]

I'd be surprised if they were to get paid, and if they do, it is likely that it will be about 10p tops.
PO's receive a tiny payment for the local collect service, even though RM charge £1.50. This won't be any different.

[fishtank]

I'd be surprised if they were to get paid.

It will be the old increased footfall gag.
Subbies have been falling for it for years.
I think collect+ cited something like a 38%* increase in first time shoppers because of its system.

* figures quoted may vary by 38%

[UnhappyGremlin]

I'd be surprised if they were to get paid.

It will be the old increased footfall gag.
Subbies have been falling for it for years.
I think collect+ cited something like a 38%* increase in first time shoppers because of its system.

* figures quoted may vary by 38%

They do use that 'reasoning' quite a lot.

[Sidley]

Tell the lying twats you want more cash for wear and tear caused by increased footfall.