To encourage debate and discussion in the postal industry, PA is hosting a series of breakfast seminars.
The postal industry is already four years into the deregulation of the UK postal market, with the first steps of market opening now complete. Downstream access agreements are in place and are operating well.
While customers have a choice of suppliers, this increased choice is available only to a small proportion of mailers: a recent study has shown that 90% of mailings have less than 4,000 items. To address this point Postcomm is looking to advance the date for full market opening – so giving all mailers a choice of service provider.
Looking forward, PA believes that the key issues that the industry needs to consider are:
- how to build on this platform of choice, and
- how to create innovative products and services that drive customers’ perception of mail services.
A number of market projections have shown declining mail volumes – but if mail service providers can drive the debate from service price to service value, this does not need to correspond to a decline in market value.
Through our program of seminars, PA aims to stimulate debate and provoke discussion by presenting views on how market value could be increased. We will be considering: the changing nature of customers’ needs and expectations; the opportunities to innovate around existing capability; and the role of technology in re-engineering the business.
By bringing together individuals from many aspects of the postal sector we are creating a forum where we can share our views on how the industry can move forward, and how to secure a sustainable and profitable role for mail service providers in the 21st century that will grow the value of the mail services market.
We hope you will be able to join us for what we expect to be lively discussion.
Postal seminars coming soon
2005 – a year in review
5 December 2005, 5.30-7.00pm
In this seminar, the last of the year, we look back over the past 12 months and consider how the shape of the industry in the UK has changed.
Invitations to the seminars will be sent by e-mail to those who have registered in advance.
How to register
To register, or if you have any queries, please e-mail postalindustry@paconsulting.com with your name, job title, organization and phone number.
We may need to restrict the number of delegates, depending on the level of interest.
Recently held postal seminars
Sustaining the long-term future of direct mail
10 November 2005, 8.00-9.30am
Mail volume growth in the UK and many other markets is being sustained by direct mail. In this seminar we explored the opportunity to sustain this growth by developing services that focus on customer needs. We considered: the needs of senders in terms of return on investment; time from production to delivery; ability to control delivery times; and the need to maximize response. We also consider the appeal of direct mail to consumers, their likes and dislikes, and how we can develop services that shift the perception away from this channel to market being regarded as junk-mail. The aim of this seminar was to share views and to create a compelling future vision for direct mail.
Using technology to increase service flexibility
12 October 2005
Looking across the industrial landscape we can see organisations that have established a competitive market position by changing the service delivery model of their industry. Companies that did not accept the 'norm' challenged the fundamentals and delivered something new to the customer. Easyjet and Ryanair challenged the traditional view of what customers wanted in the airline industry; Zara changed the dynamics in the fashion and retail markets.
In this seminar we considered how the traditional postal service delivery model could change, by looking at how other industries have changed their service delivery model; modified their supply chain principles; and used technology to gain competitive advantage.
To request a complete set of slides from this seminar please click here
Innovation in an access model
26 May 2005
UK market liberalization is being delivered through a model which, so far, is concentrated on access.
This model has implications for the method, scope and role of operators developing service innovation. While new entrants can innovate in the early part of the supply chain, to access innovation in delivery services they are reliant upon a third party, which in the main is the legacy monopoly provider. In this seminar we considered the role of all industry stakeholders in delivering service innovation
To request a complete set of slides from this seminar please click here
Developing services for recipients of mail
24 March 2005
Over 85% of mail is sent and paid for by business senders. It is no surprise therefore that in developing products and services the focus is on satisfying the needs of senders. However, consumer receivers constitute another important market segment. Some 67% of all mail is delivered through consumers' letterboxes, yet there are few services available for this group. In this seminar we explored the opportunity for creating consumer recipient services and developing a new source of market revenue.
To request a complete set of slides from this seminar please click here
Customers’ needs in the 21st century
28 January 2005
Since the core postal products were introduced, decades ago, it is clear that the communications market has driven a radical change in customer expectations and behaviors. The telecommunications market has not just responded to customer needs, it has created them. Previously there was no demand for SMS, yet in July 2004 over a billion text messages were sent. There was no demand for photo-phones, yet one in five consumers now owns a camera phone. We are also seeing changes in consumers’ willingness to pay for convenience, with 72 million transactions now taking place through convenience cashpoints.
These consumer trends are driving changes in the business world. Businesses are looking to meet constantly shifting customer needs – the pace of expected change and innovation is increasing, and differentiating factors today are not necessarily differentiating features tomorrow. In this seminar we looked at this changing landscape and considered the implications and opportunities for postal services in this century.
To request a complete set of slides from this seminar please click here
