You can always find post office near you for economical and reliable parcel delivery services. Unfortunately, most post offices find it challenging to adapt to societal changes and market trends. As the leading provider of postal services, most post offices seem to lag in:
- Technology
- Service diversification
- Delivery and distribution optimization
- Providing personalized services to their mail and parcel recipients
However, recent digital transformations have compelled post offices across the globe to change, adapt, and innovate their services. This sector is hard hit by the increased usage of mobile e-commerce, which provides more convenience, efficiency, and reliability.
With the United States Postal Service’s announcement of a forthcoming move to secure cloud computing, companies and nonprofit organizations have even more reasons to start implementing direct mail marketing strategies.
For post offices to remain afloat and relevant, they need to invest in digital technology, like digital postbox and mobile wallet solutions. This can help transform their services and answer the ever-changing needs of consumers.
Why Digital Postbox Mail Services?
Flexible, inexpensive, and secure communication between public authorities and citizens through a digital postbox is one of the benefits of increased digital communication.
Digital postbox services are a secure, flexible delivery channel where you can manage, view, and organize your digital communications from multiple providers through a single login. This channel can enable you to receive and respond to other transactional communications and securely manage business relationships like storing and uploading documents, receiving important reminders and notices, and paying bills.
A secure digital postbox is safe when sending physical communications via ordinary post offices. Another advantage of digital postboxes is savings on postage costs and reduced environmental impact.
In some regions, finding the actual mailing address of your recipients might take time and effort. But with a digital postbox, you’re assured that each of the documents sent will reach the right recipient.
Why Mobile Commerce?
Recently, digital transformation has led to exponential growth in mobile commerce and the use of mobile phones. Mobile commerce is extensively used internationally in formal and informal sectors because it’s localized, ubiquitous, personalized, and convenient. It can improve the overall revenue and productivity in the postal services industry.
Realistically, mobile commerce is currently a way of life and provides financial inclusion for many people globally. Globally, 1.7 billion people remain unbanked. Imagine the potential of connecting with these people through their smartphones!
Mobile commerce provides post offices with room for extensive growth and expansion. For this to actualize, post offices must create an inclusive commerce platform relevant to consumers’ needs and use mobile wallet technology.
The Challenges and Opportunities For Post Offices
Postal services have been drastically declining internationally. The root cause of all this includes declining mail volumes, aging infrastructure, changing consumer preferences, etc.
Many clients prefer digital postal platforms because they’re more efficient, convenient, and reliable. Post offices should digitalize to stay relevant to the ever-changing consumers’ needs.
Unfortunately, post offices need to look into emerging opportunities within their market, specifically where financial services and mobile commerce are concerned.
For instance, COVID-19 impacted the use of postal services, especially the spread of the virus and the handling of money. In many developing countries, post offices have been used as pay stations for welfare payments, pensions, grants, etc.
This can result in a large sum of money passing through several pay points and different hands, which increases the risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus. Many postal services turned to cashless payment systems and mobile wallets to help limit the spread of COVID-19.
The need for mobile commerce platforms, financial services, and postbox services should compel post offices to diversify. Otherwise, they might remain irrelevant in the competitive market. Luckily, post offices are in the perfect position to expand and innovate because they have the following available to them:
- Physical presence: Some infrastructure might be aging, but a physical presence in remote places and established areas can connect the two. Post offices are suitable for digital mobile banking when these assets are well-established.
- A distribution network: It is difficult to establish logistics, especially in developing communities. Thankfully, postal services have these networks.
- Cordial relationship with customers: This relationship has been built over centuries of services. Other brands spend millions on marketing, systems, and staff and yet don’t come close.
With all these factors in place, postal services are suitable for mobile commerce platforms, digital financial services, and digital postbox services. This automatically creates relevant new revenue streams that meet clients’ needs in the digital age.
Final Thoughts
Post offices have many opportunities to delve into the digital world of mobile commerce platforms, financial services, and postbox services. Thankfully, most post offices have strong customer experience and relationships, expansive networks, and well-established infrastructure. Therefore, they’re in the perfect position to digitize their operations easily.
Post offices should adopt inclusive commerce platforms that meet customers’ needs. With that, they’ll remain more relevant, enhance profitability, create more revenue streams, and become a real asset to clients.