According to a report by International Post Corporation (IPC), revenue for the postal sector globally grew by 3.3% in the first half (H1) of 2015. The positive outlook has been attributed to improved performances across both mail and parcels business units. Parcel revenue for H1 2015 more than doubled when compared with H1 2014, achieving 10.5% growth, while mail revenue remained stable at 0.2%.
Herbert-Michael Zapf, president and CEO, IPC, said, “In 2014, we have seen the continued rise of e-commerce, the posts’ main growth driver, and this trend has again been confirmed in the first half of 2015. The global shift toward e-commerce and new media has revolutionized the way the postal industry cooperates with operators and the way they interact with customers.
“While the global postal parcel volume growth remains above GDP growth on average, it lags behind online retail growth, showing the ongoing growth potential for posts.”
According to market estimates, the global e-commerce market will be worth more than 1.2tn (US$1.3tn) by 2019, with Asia-Pacific representing the largest regional market.
The parcels segment remains a key driver of postal growth with parcel and express volumes growing by an average of 6.3% in 2014, although this was slower than the overall growth in e-commerce. International parcels and express volume continues to increase and now represents 16.3% of total parcels and express volume.
The above insights are published in IPC’s new report: the IPC Global Postal Industry Report Key Findings. The full IPC Global Postal Industry Report is published yearly and provides a detailed review of industry trends and operator performance. The report covers 45 postal operators worldwide along with major integrators, and includes a range of analyses across key areas such as digitization, e-commerce and diversification.
November 24, 2015