Retail customers belonging to international parcel delivery facilitator Asendia – a joint venture between La Poste and Swiss Post – now have access to last-mile delivery services in Ireland, following an agreement signed with An Post – Ireland’s national postal operator.
Marc Pontet, CEO of Asendia, said, “We continually look to develop our cross-border parcel services to markets where e-commerce is thriving and Ireland is one such market. We chose to partner with An Post because their services offer a long list of unrivalled benefits such as Saturday and evening delivery, safe places, PUDO, and three delivery attempts. These are the features that online shoppers are looking for.
“But what’s more, An Post was voted the most trusted brand in Ireland, which is high praise in a country that brands like Google, PayPal and Pfizer have made their home.”
Lloyd Webber, sales and marketing director at Asendia UK, added, “The Irish consumer loves to shop online and has a thirst for buying from overseas stores. UK retailers in particular should be excited about this opportunity to access an excellent service at a great price, because the UK is the number one shopping destination by far for the Irish.”
These figures regarding the Irish market feature in Asendia’s most recent eBook How to crack the Irish E-commerce market. Key findings include:
– Value of Ireland’s e-commerce market reached €6.7bn (US$7.8bn) in 2017;
– Cross-border spending expected to reach €5.2bn (US$6bn), representing 77% of the total market;
– 63% of Irish cross-border shoppers buy from the UK;
– China and the USA are the next most popular shopping destinations.
Gilles Ferrandez, commercial director, An Post, said, “An Post is evolving to meet the demands of e-commerce. We want to make it easier for companies and consumers to sell, buy, receive and return goods, wherever and whenever they choose. By partnering with Asendia we are able to expand solutions in the UK, across continental Europe, the USA and Asia; this is a really exciting opportunity for us to grow our reach, with an international partner that has a strong reputation.”
The parcel delivery service to Ireland is now available to UK retailers and is also accessible via the Metapack shipping platform.
To read more from Asendia’s eBook How to crack the Irish E-commerce market, click here.