Speeding up postal delivery may be a priority for Royal Mail. However in comparison to targets set by UK regulatory body Ofcom, the postal service is not meeting targets.
Earlier this year, the UK’s regulatory body for postal industries, Ofcom, launched an investigation into Royal Mail, following its failure to meet delivery targets.
The latest report covers April 1st to June 30th, 2024. It shows Royal Mail’s missing targets set by the watchdog. It’s rules state that the postal service must:
- Deliver 93% of first-class mail within one working day of collection.
- Deliver 98.5% of second-class mail within three working days of collection.
Royal Mail’s latest delivery performance
- Second Class mail: 94.1% delivered within three working days.
- First Class mail: 79.1% delivered within one working day.
Year-on-year Improvement
- First Class service quality: Increased by 4.5% compared to the same period in 2023.
- First Class mail delivery within two days: 93.5% in Q1 2024-25, up from 91.6% in Q1 2023.
Modernizing to meet evolving delivery demands
Royal Mail is modernizing the business to address the decline in letter volumes and the increasing demand for larger parcels and next-day deliveries.
As part of this effort, the postal service has cut half of its domestic flights this year.
More mail is now being transported by road, which is more reliable, can handle more parcels, and is better for the environment.
It seems there are attempts to modernize, with Royal Mail taking on two new initiatives:
- Drone trials: The company partnered with Skyports and Argyll and Bute Council to test drone deliveries between the remote isles of Islay and Jura in the Inner Hebrides.
- Electric vehicles: Royal Mail is adding another 2,100 electric vans (EVs) to its fleet over the next year.
Global courier, express, and parcel market
Grand View Research reports that the market is changing significantly due to several key trends. The biggest of these is the rapid growth of e-commerce, which has led to a large increase in parcel volumes.
As a result, courier, express, and parcel (CEP) companies have invested heavily in expanding their infrastructure, improving last-mile delivery, and using advanced technologies like automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence to meet growing consumer demand for fast and reliable deliveries.
NOW READ: Yodel’s innovations and expansions: Focus on logistics
Photo Credit:
Speeding up postal delivery may be a priority for Royal Mail. However in comparison to targets set by UK regulatory body Ofcom, the postal service is not meeting targets.
Earlier this year, the UK’s regulatory body for postal industries, Ofcom, launched an investigation into Royal Mail, following its failure to meet delivery targets.
The latest report covers April 1st to June 30th, 2024. It shows Royal Mail’s missing targets set by the watchdog. It’s rules state that the postal service must:
- Deliver 93% of first-class mail within one working day of collection.
- Deliver 98.5% of second-class mail within three working days of collection.
Royal Mail’s latest delivery performance
- Second Class mail: 94.1% delivered within three working days.
- First Class mail: 79.1% delivered within one working day.
Year-on-year Improvement
- First Class service quality: Increased by 4.5% compared to the same period in 2023.
- First Class mail delivery within two days: 93.5% in Q1 2024-25, up from 91.6% in Q1 2023.
Modernizing to meet evolving delivery demands
Royal Mail is modernizing the business to address the decline in letter volumes and the increasing demand for larger parcels and next-day deliveries.
As part of this effort, the postal service has cut half of its domestic flights this year.
More mail is now being transported by road, which is more reliable, can handle more parcels, and is better for the environment.
It seems there are attempts to modernize, with Royal Mail taking on two new initiatives:
- Drone trials: The company partnered with Skyports and Argyll and Bute Council to test drone deliveries between the remote isles of Islay and Jura in the Inner Hebrides.
- Electric vehicles: Royal Mail is adding another 2,100 electric vans (EVs) to its fleet over the next year.
Global courier, express, and parcel market
Grand View Research reports that the market is changing significantly due to several key trends. The biggest of these is the rapid growth of e-commerce, which has led to a large increase in parcel volumes.
As a result, courier, express, and parcel (CEP) companies have invested heavily in expanding their infrastructure, improving last-mile delivery, and using advanced technologies like automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence to meet growing consumer demand for fast and reliable deliveries.
NOW READ: Yodel’s innovations and expansions: Focus on logistics
Photo Credit: Royal Mail
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About the author
Sharl is a qualified journalist. He has over 10 years’ experience in the media industry, including positions as an editor of a magazine and Business Editor of a daily newspaper. Sharl also has experience in logistics specifically operations, where he worked with global food aid organisations distributing food into Africa. Sharl enjoys writing business stories and human interest pieces.
