The postal service was once a marginalized sunset industry, and the electronicization of communications was once the biggest driver of its decline. Looking back on history, the traditional postal service is essentially a government-owned organization focused on “information transmission”, and a bodyguard agency for escorting goods. , and modern service industries such as express delivery are different. Therefore, the Internet has a qualitative impact on the postal industry from the “information” level. The Internet has changed the supply and demand relationship of the traditional postal industry. Letters, newspapers, remittance and other businesses have been severely impacted by network services.
E-commerce has given it a second rebirth. In addition to retaining the original global postal network alliance, many powerful postal companies have established commercial express delivery companies to facilitate their participation in cross-border market competition.
Same as the U.S. Postal Service, one of the biggest advantages of many postal operators around the world is that they have a dense terminal network within the local area and can deliver packages to almost any corner of the country, providing a public reputation-based reliable service. Due to their long history and wide business chain, many postal services are group companies that also have some government or public functions. Many large postal companies are among the Fortune 500. For example, the US Postal Service’s operating income in 2016 was as high as US$70.4 billion, much higher than UPS.
The Universal Postal Union is a specialized agency under the United Nations and an intergovernmental international organization that negotiates international postal affairs. It was founded in 1874 and currently has 192 member countries. The “Universal Postal Convention” under the alliance system is the basic rule that countries follow in handling international postal services. It has clear processing levels and service standards for mail and parcels. China Post can be traced back to the Qing Post established in 1896, and currently has many business sectors. In 2015, my country’s cross-border e-commerce exported about 1 billion pieces of light and small parcels, of which 68% were through China Post channels, with a growth rate of more than 60%. ePacket has become the recommended delivery option for most e-commerce platforms, and postal small parcels are even more popular across borders. The most widely used entry-level logistics by cross-border e-commerce. The main reasons why cross-border e-commerce is so suitable for postal services are as follows:
1. A global network with no blind spots, relying on the existing postal parcel networks of various countries, the delivery of light and small items is stable and reliable, and commercial companies have services Scope or limited routes; 2. The price advantage is obvious. Postal parcels dominate the world and provide the most basic logistics services. No matter how bloody the commercial service price is, they may not be able to compare with it; 3. Barrier-free customs clearance, under the framework of the Postal Union The local customs clearance capability is a unique skill of the postal service. Of course, under the loosely coupled network of cross-border handovers, the postal network also has significant shortcomings: unstable timeliness, abnormal conditions, customer service consultation and traceability of mail dynamics need to be improved, the network is a big challenge in peak seasons, and the cross-border resource coordination mechanism improvement of.
The Universal Postal Union has also carried out network layering and service innovation.
1. Express Mail Service (EMS, Express Mail Service) is a “high-quality, highly reliable, standardized” cost-effective service positioned as “a global postal network with reliable time limits throughout the entire process”, benchmarking commercial express delivery The market has a global annual growth rate of about 10%, and an on-time rate of over 90%. China Post EMS was founded in 1980 and is the earliest express delivery service provider in China.
The Postal Service has now become a global express delivery company, with many branches or overseas warehouses in Europe, the United States, Japan, South Korea, India, and Australia. About 70% of EMS’s cross-border demand is in the Asia-Pacific region, and the vast majority of cross-border shipments within the region. EMS’s unique free return advantage makes it a must-have choice for high-value cross-border e-commerce sellers.
2. Kahala Postal Organization KPG is a committed quality service initiated by China, Japan, South Korea, the United States, Australia and Hong Kong Post. The organization is required to ensure that 98% of goods are delivered on time, and there is an obligation to compensate for overdue goods. .
3. International Postal Company IPC has cooperated with 5 European postal operators to launch a simple return solution. It will be returned to the e-commerce seller who authorized the return through the postal network. The seller will provide the customer with a postage-paid The return label facilitates users to accept e-commerce return and exchange services. In addition, Global Post continues to promote EDI standards such as logistics tracking and customs clearance. It declares to the customs for inspection and releases and delivers them globally through international postal routes, achieving seamless connection between cross-border e-commerce goods and mail logistics and distribution, effectively simplifying the local delivery of consignees. Declaration procedures.
Today’s global postal service, with the development and differentiation of various economies, shows uneven development stages. In developing countries and third world countries, many post offices have not yet undergone market-oriented reforms and are even part of the government. Post offices in small developed countries are even completely privatized.
From the perspective of mainstream trends, the first is groupization, represented by Memoto Post Holdings, Poste Italiane Group and China Post Group, etc., which have expanded traditional businesses into diversified fields, and are particularly strong in the financial field.
The second is marketization. Postal services in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands are privatized, and countries such as Poland have even socialized postal services through public bidding. Postal operators in many countries not only operate domestic networks, but also operate international and commercial channels. The GeoPost Logistics Group, a subsidiary of France Post, includes subsidiaries such as DPD Seur Chronopost and Exapag and operates commercial markets.
The third is specialization. Many postal services are gradually declining in the competition in the domestic express delivery market, but Deutsche Post, United States Postal Service and Australia Post are the representatives, including Belgium Post, Singapore Post, KLM and Hong Kong Post. and other small and medium-sized postal companies, focusing on and deeply cultivating the logistics market to become a regional leader, and actively expanding into the international market.
The fourth is internationalization. China’s rapidly developing cross-border e-commerce market has aroused the interest of postal services in various countries. Many postal companies bypass the UPU framework and use agency mechanisms to solicit goods from around the world. The first leg is a direct flight to the destination country for customs clearance, and local delivery will be entrusted to the destination country’s post office, which avoids the complexity of warehousing and transfer required for postal parcels. Delivery is prioritized and timeliness is reliably guaranteed. Saicheng International Logistics, a joint venture between China Post and Australia Post, has absolute advantages in dedicated logistics in Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia.