25-05-2017
- 2017 IPC conference themed ‘Optimising the postal network for e-commerce’ hosted over 20 chief executive officers of posts from around the globe
- Partnerships with leading global e-commerce players key to facilitate global e-commerce
Brussels, Belgium, 25 May 2017 – CEOs and senior executives from leading postal operators from America, Asia Pacific and Europe, gathered on 19 May in the Rode Hoed Conference Centre in Amsterdam for the 2017 International Post Corporation Annual Conference.
Holger Winklbauer, IPC CEO commented on the theme of this year’s conference and the new, more debate-focused setup of the conference: ‘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.”
This year, the conference speeches and debates explored the options posts have to cost-effectively deliver lightweight, low-value packets, which account for the majority of the cross-border e-commerce market. Posts 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”, highlighted 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.
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The IPC 2017 Annual Conference ‘Optimising the postal network for e-commerce’ featured keynote speeches from Michael R. Indresano, Vice President, Amazon Transportation Services, Worldwide Operations and Ricky Xue, Senior Director of Cross Border, Cainiao Network, Alibaba, China.
For the informal panel discussions, keynote speakers were joined at the table by Deepak Chopra, President and CEO, Canada Post; Francisco de Lacerda, Chairman and CEO, CTT Correios de Portugal; Georg Pölzl, CEO, Österreichische Post and Herna Verhagen, CEO, PostNL.
The following posts were represented:
The IPC Annual Conference gathered about eighty senior delegates, including CEOs, from the following posts from the IPC membership and beyond: An Post (Ireland); Australia Post (Australia); bpost (Belgium); Canada Post (Canada); Correo Argentino (Argentina); Correos (Spain); CTT Correios (Portugal); Cyprus Post (Cyprus); Deutsche Post DHL (Germany); Hellenic Post ELTA (Greece); Hrvatska Posta (Croatia);Iceland Post (Iceland); Japan Post Co.Ltd (Japan); Latvijas Pasts (Latvia); Le Groupe La Poste (France); Lietuvos Pastas (Lithuania); Magyar Posta (Hungary); Malta Post (Malta); New Zealand Post (New Zealand); Omnivia (Estonia); Österreichische Post AG (Austria); POST Luxembourg (Luxembourg); Poste Italiane SpA (Italy); Posten Norge (Norway); Posti (Finland); PostNL (The Netherlands); PostNord (Denmark and Sweden); Slovenska Posta (Slovakia); Swiss Post (Switzerland) and representatives from the UPU and PostEurop.
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
+32 2 724 71 91
[email protected]