06-07-2017
- Results show an average growth trend for posts worldwide, though lower than in 2015
- B2C e-commerce and diversification key drivers for postal revenue growth
Brussels, 6 July 2017 – The global postal industry continued to grow in 2016 despite challenging market conditions and ongoing declines in mail volumes. Increasing parcels and express volumes – especially B2C e-commerce items – supported revenue growth for many posts. Revenue diversification continued across the industry and remains a key driver for growth.
In 2016, the global postal industry registered year-on-year revenue growth of 1.3%1, according to preliminary results published today by International Post Corporation (IPC).
Holger Winklbauer, CEO of IPC said: “The postal industry continues to maintain revenue in an increasingly competitive market. With continuing mail volume declines, postal operators are delivering more and more parcels and are further diversifying their businesses to support revenue growth. We also saw that throughout 2016, many posts focused on improving the operational efficiency of their delivery networks, for example by investing in sorting centre automation. The future lies in the development of innovative solutions for e-commerce consumers, in particular cross-border.”
While mail volumes declined across most markets, mail divisions remained profitable on average as posts further streamlined mail operations and increased efficiency. Posts also continued to expand their parcel networks to capitalise on the growth in e-commerce and improve customer convenience.
Winklbauer continued: “ In 2016, international operations remained an important source of revenue for many posts in both mail and parcel divisions. IPC continues to work together with its member postal operators to leverage the growth potential presented by the developments in cross-border e-commerce, while at the same time maximising efficiency and quality in the international mail segment.”
Complete 2016 results as well as results for the first half of 2017 will be presented in the IPC Global Postal Industry Report to be published in November 2017. The report will include a comprehensive and detailed review of the postal industry, covering 45 postal operators worldwide and analysing key market trends. A publicly available summary, the Key Findings, will also be published in November.
For more information on the IPC Global Postal Industry Report, please click here.
1 Average based on an unweighted mean of results of the following 30 posts: An Post, bpost, Canada Post, Chunghwa Post*, Correios Brasil*, Correos de México, CTT-Correios de Portugal, Czech Post, Deutsche Post DHL, Eesti Post, Hongkong Post*, Iceland Post, India Post*, Le Groupe La Poste, Lithuania Post, Österreichische Post, PHLPost*, Pos Indonesia*, POST Luxembourg, Poste Italiane, Posten Norge, Posti Group, PostNL, PostNord, Royal Mail, Singapore Post, Slovenska Posta*, South African Post Office*, Swiss Post, United States Postal Service. Posts marked with an asterisk (*) are not expected to publish annual results until after publication of the IPC Global Postal Industry Report 2017 in November; analyses for these posts has been based on the latest periods for which data exists.
About International Post Corporation
International Post Corporation (IPC) is the leading service provider of the global postal industry that provides leadership by driving service quality, interoperability and business-critical intelligence to support posts in defending existing business and expanding into new growth areas. It is a cooperative association of 24 member postal operators in Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. IPC’s solutions and services are used by over 180 posts worldwide. Since 1989 IPC has set standards for upgrading quality and service performance and developed technological solutions that help members enhance service for international letters, packets and parcels. IPC engages in industry research, creates business-critical intelligence, provides a range of platforms and programmes for member post CEOs and senior management to exchange best practices and discuss strategy. IPC also manages the system for incentive-based payments between postal operators.
For further information, please contact:
Eva Wouters
Communications manager, PR and media relations
International Post Corporation
T: +32 2 724 71 91 E: [email protected]