IPC has published the preliminary findings of its 2016 Global Postal Industry Report, which showed that the postal sector continued to grow by 1.3% year-on-year in spite of challenging market conditions and ongoing declines in mail volumes.
Increasing parcels and express volumes, particularly e-commerce items, supported revenue growth for many posts. Revenue diversification continued across the industry and remains a key driver for growth.
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 center 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 capitalize on the growth in e-commerce and improve customer convenience.
“In 2016, international operations remained an important source of revenue for many posts in both mail and parcel divisions,” added Winklbauer. “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 maximizing 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, published in November 2017. The report will include a comprehensive and detailed review of the postal industry, covering 45 postal operators worldwide and analyzing key market trends.
July 7, 2017