Digitalization in Postal Services

Just over a year ago, on 1 January 2021, it became mandatory for postal operators designated by the 192 Member Countries of the Universal Postal Union (#UPU) to exchange electronic advance data (#EAD) prior to physical #delivery on every postal item containing goods.

As the global unifier of #postal networks and solutions, the UPU is at the centre of postal #digitalization. Its role is to guarantee the free circulation of postal items over a single postal territory composed of interconnected networks and based on fair common #standards, to ensure #cooperation and #interaction among all #postalstakeholders, and to promote effective #technicalcooperation to ensure that customers’ changing needs are satisfied.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱

The EU has followed suit for cross-border postal, courier, express and #parceldelivery operators: from 1 July 2021, it began to implement and enforce mandatory EAD for #transportsecurity, #productsafety and customs & fiscal purposes.

The EU is being joined by the freight and #transportsector, with all freight and transport-related information for all modes scheduled to be digitalized by mid-2024.

EAD is revolutionizing the entire delivery process: it allows digitalization of the postal sector and the Green Deal to be twinned; #lastmiledelivery – which currently accounts for more than 50% of the delivery cost – can become 25% – 35% more #efficient; it enables unattended delivery and collection; and, by linking the content of the postal item to its delivery, ensures safety and security.

𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀:

· Authentic identification of the carriers for every postal item
· The postal item follows the recipient and its individual preferences
· The transport ID (barcode on the parcel) reveals the content, but can only be read by trusted entities
· Smart city and rural delivery:– no “greenwashing”, instead real item-related accountability for the end-2-end environmental delivery footprint
· #Transparency (operator ID) with respect to fair working conditions
· Safe, secure, contactless, and unattended delivery (not used for unlawful or criminal activities)
· Mobile applications controlled by the recipients allow location-based delivery according to their preferences
· Secured privacy, preventing identify theft and exploitation by restricting access to the address to trusted and supervised entities