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News from Royal Mail

  1. The magic of Roald Dahl celebrated on Royal Mail stamps
    • Roald Dahl’s timeless children’s classics celebrated on the first Royal Mail special stamps issued in 2012
    • Features iconic Quentin Blake illustrations
    • 30th anniversary of The BFG celebrated on special sheet of four stamps

    Royal Mail has issued a set of six stamps to celebrate some of Roald Dahl’s most popular children’s stories. The stamps feature illustrations by Quentin Blake, whose iconic drawings are synonymous with Roald Dahl’s classics.

    The stamps depict much-loved favourites Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1st Class), Fantastic Mr Fox (66p), James and the Giant Peach (68p), Matilda (76p), The Twits (£1) and The Witches (£1.10). In addition, the 30th anniversary of The BFG (Big Friendly Giant), one of Roald Dahl’s most popular characters, is marked by a special sheet of four stamps, featuring scenes from this legendary tale.

    Ophelia Dahl, daughter of Roald, said: "I'm so excited that Royal Mail has honoured my father, Roald Dahl, with these stamps. My dad wrote thousands of letters home throughout his life and never dreamed that one day one of his own characters would grace a stamp. He'd be thrilled. This is an excellent way for us to kick off a year of celebrations to mark 30 years in print for The BFG and it's great that the stamps include a collector's set, devoted to The BFG and other characters from this book."

    Stephen Agar, Royal Mail Stamps spokesperson, said: “Roald Dahl’s wonderful stories and timeless creations have touched the lives of children and adults across the UK and around the world.

    “We are delighted to be featuring some of Roald Dahl’s most loved stories as we start our 2012 special stamp programme. Later in the year we will be celebrating the life of another iconic writer, Charles Dickens, and a separate series on Britons of Distinction will all help make this a year to remember.”

    Buy these stamps from our Shop

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  2. Royal Mail beats its First and Second Class Mail targets
    • Challenges remain to achieve targets on a full-year basis given the scale of Royal Mail’s massive modernisation programme

    Royal Mail beat its First and Second Class quality targets during the summer months, according to the company’s latest service report.

    Business bulk mail also achieved its targets along with Standard parcels and European International Mail during the three-month period from early June to early September.

    First Class beat its 93.0% target for next-working-day delivery with a 93.2% performance during the three-month period. Second Class exceeded its 98.5% target for delivery within three working days with a 98.7% performance.

    The highest First Class performance nationwide was in the AB postcode covering the Aberdeen area where a 96.6% performance was achieved. There were First Class performances exceeding 96.0% in three other postcode areas: HX, covering the Halifax area (96.4%), ML, the Motherwell area (96.3%), and PH, the Perth area (96.1%). A total of 43 of the 121 postcode areas nationwide had a First Class performance at 94.0% or above, and 14 were at or above 95.0%. However, 14 of the 118 postcode areas were below the minimum 91.5% First Class performance. Royal Mail is doing all it can to lift the unacceptable performance in these areas.

    Royal Mail operates to a high specification. It collects and delivers the mail six days a week and operates a nationwide road, rail and air network that delivers the working day after posting millions of First Class letters, packets and parcels, many posted as late as 6.30pm the previous day and bound for destinations hundreds of miles away. Royal Mail’s quality targets are highly demanding and it delivers a truly first class service to the UK.

    Overall, Royal Mail hit or exceeded eight of its 12 service targets. It narrowly missed its targets by a few hundreds of one percentage point for the numbers of collection points and delivery routes completed each day, in part because of disruption in the wake of riots which affected a number of areas in August. The Special Delivery service narrowly missed its 99.0% target with a 98.8% performance. A total of 104 out of 118 postcode areas hit their minimum service performance for First Class. The Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland are excluded because of their remoteness. The target for mail correctly delivered was exceeded.

    Targets apply over a 12-month period excluding the Christmas period. Although the performance in the summer months showed a significant improvement on the first quarter results, the company recognises the demanding task it still faces to hit its targets on an annual basis. Cumulatively, some key services are below-target at the half-way point in the financial year. It will be challenging to hit all targets over the full year given the scale of Royal Mail’s modernisation programme, one of the largest of its kind in UK industry. Royal Mail is not stopping any part of its service for even a day while these major changes are implemented.

    Mark Higson, Royal Mail’s Managing Director for Operations and Modernisation, said: “These performance figures reflect the hard work and dedication of our employees as Royal Mail presses ahead with one of the biggest transformation programmes in UK industry. The maximum period of change is now underway.

    “The jobs of more than 100,000 postmen and women are changing, we’re giving them better equipment to take the weight off their backs of higher packet and parcel volumes, and large amounts of new technology are being deployed. We remain determined, however, to complete our transformation while delivering the highest possible quality service to all our customers.”

    Mr Higson added: “While the operational changes we are making to modernise the business are being implemented in many areas without any impact on customer service, we do recognise that in some localities there has been an adverse impact on customers. We are working through any difficulties in particular places and doing all we can to ensure changes are made at all times with the least possible impact on customers.”

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  3. Door drop promotions revealed as most trusted form of communication
    • More consumers trust door drop leaflets or vouchers than other forms of communication
    • Door drop vouchers are trusted over online vouchers
    • Only seven per cent of consumers have confidence in unsolicited emails
    • Last booking date for Royal Mail’s Door to Door service to ensure delivery by Christmas is 28 November

    Door drops are trusted by consumers over all other types of communication, in particular online communications, a new study has found.

    The research by FreshMinds revealed that more UK adults (43 per cent) trust either door drop leaflets or vouchers more than any other medium. The next strongest media is radio which has a 40 per cent trust rating. Only seven per cent of respondents had confidence in unsolicited emails and five per cent in online pop-ups.

    Qualitative research also found door drop vouchers are particularly trusted by consumers over online ones. This is because they are considered to be a more legitimate type of voucher, saving potentially embarrassing in-store situations where the recipient’s voucher might be rejected.

    Philip Ricketts, Royal Mail’s Head of Strategy, Sales and Marketing for Door to Door, said: “If brands want to sell successfully, engendering trust with consumers is vital and this research demonstrates that door drops are good at that.

    “What’s clear is that consumers are still nervous by the ‘virtual’ nature of online when it comes to trust, particularly when receiving and redeeming vouchers.”

    This research is released as Royal Mail plans to offer its Door to Door service over the Christmas period for the second year, allowing advertisers to deliver door drops throughout the festive period.

    Users also have the benefit of reduced booking times for unaddressed mail. It is possible to book Door to Door campaigns three weeks before distribution, enabling them to more quickly respond to new marketing opportunities. This is particularly important for retailers looking to grasp newly-identified opportunities in the run up to and during the festive period.

    The deadline to book a campaign for delivery before Christmas is 28 November. For campaigns between Christmas and New Year the booking deadline is Monday 5 December. These can be booked at: www.royalmail.com/doortodoor or by phoning 01865 796981.

    Philip Ricketts added: “We are very pleased to offer our Door to Door service at Christmas for the second year. It is a service that opens up a world of opportunities for retailers and wide range of other organisations, allowing them to communicate effectively with existing and potential customers. It provides brands with the opportunity to engage with consumers during the most important period in the retail calendar.”

     

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  4. Royal Mail welcomes Ofcom's major review
    • Royal Mail welcomes the major review of the UK postal sector that Ofcom has published today (20th October 2011). Royal Mail will carefully review the document before coming to a considered view on its main elements.
    • Royal Mail believes that the Ofcom proposals are a significant step towards securing a sound and sustainable Universal Service.
    • Royal Mail, which reported a £120 million loss last year in its core Universal Service activities and has had negative cashflow for a number of years, has been calling for a different approach to regulation for some time.

    Royal Mail believes that the proposed new approach from Ofcom is a significant step towards securing the future of the six-day-a-week, one-price-goes anywhere Universal Service to 29 million UK homes and businesses. Ofcom notes in its review that the obligations that apply to Royal Mail in respect of the Universal Service exceed those that apply in most other countries in Europe.

    Radical action needed

    Moya Greene, Royal Mail Group’s Chief Executive, said Royal Mail has been stressing the need for a very different approach as the old regulatory framework has accelerated the financial decline of Royal Mail. Ofcom has recognised that the old approach of tight price controls has not worked. Royal Mail has reported negative cashflow for a number of years and reported a loss of £120 million last year in its core Universal Service activities. Headroom price controls and mandated access, however, have driven more revenues out of Royal Mail than the structural decline in volumes. The average daily postbag of 62 million items is now 18 million fewer than just five years ago.

    A sound and secure universal service

    Royal Mail is pressing ahead with its vital modernisation programme. 45,000 people have left Royal Mail since 2002 as the necessary but difficult process of modernising the company continues. With its unions, Royal Mail is making painful changes to its operations to achieve the efficiencies that the regulator and customers expect.

    A new balance must, therefore, be found to give Royal Mail the pricing flexibility it requires alongside the clear understanding that prices remain affordable, especially for disadvantaged households.

    A key role in the UK

    Royal Mail is an important part of the UK’s economic and social fabric connecting communities, companies and people. Ofcom’s proposed regulatory framework should also underpin the economic contribution Royal Mail itself makes as one of the country’s biggest employers with 163,000 people employed in virtually every community across the UK.

    Ms Greene said: “We welcome Ofcom’s major review of the UK postal sector. This document merits a great deal of attention. We will give it just that before coming to our considered view on the new framework Ofcom is proposing. It is clear, however, that the Ofcom proposals are a significant step towards securing a sound and sustainable Universal Service. The proposals are timely too as radical action is needed now given the ongoing decline in volumes and revenues and the inability to cover the costs of our Universal Service activities.”

    Royal Mail will give its detailed view on Ofcom’s proposals before the consultation on the proposed new regulatory framework concludes in early January. Ofcom intends to implement the new regulatory framework from next spring.

    View our full press statement (new window)

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  5. World's most famous front door '10 Downing Street' on a Royal Mail stamp for the first time
    • The Number 10 Downing Street front door features on a Royal Mail stamp for the first time. Downing Street has been home of the Prime Minister since 1735
    • Prime Minister, David Cameron, marked the launch of the stamp outside the famous black front door of 10 Downing Street today
    • The stamp is part of a Special Stamps programme – the UK A-Z issue - celebrating the UK’s most famous landmarks.

    Prime Minister, David Cameron, marked the launch of the stamp outside the famous black front door of 10 Downing Street. The Downing Street stamp is one of a set of 26 1st Class UK A-Z stamps which feature some of the most famous landmarks from all four countries across the United Kingdom.

    The Prime Minister said: “The UK has some of the most beautiful landscapes and fascinating heritage, things that we can all be incredibly proud of. I am delighted to see some of our most loved landmarks on these stamps, celebrating much that is great about our country. Seeing the front door of Number 10 featured on a stamp is of course particularly special.”

    Moya Greene, Royal Mail Chief Executive, said: “The UK A-Z Special Stamps celebrate some of the country’s best loved landmarks. It is fitting that the world famous front door of 10 Downing Street is represented, for the first time, in this Special Stamp issue. We are thankful to the Prime Minister for taking part in the celebration of this famous address.”

    Number 10 Downing Street, the world’s most famous front door, is being featured for the first time on the a new set of Royal Mail Special Stamps celebrating the UK’s most famous landmarks.

    The first part of the alphabetical journey commences on 13th October with the launch of UK A – Z Part One which reads from A to L. 10 Downing Street – representing letter D - has been linked to the house of the Prime Minister for nearly 300 years:

    • Sir Robert Walpole, who held the title First Lord of the Treasury and effectively served as the first Prime Minister, took up residence in Downing Street in 1735
    • That the house is still being used today by David Cameron is down to the refusal of Sir Robert Walpole to accept the house as a personal gift. Instead he insisted it be used by future First Lords of the Treasury
    • To this day prime ministers occupy Number 10 in the role of First Lord of the Treasury
    • The brass letter box on the black front door is still engraved with this title.

    Other places to feature in the UK A – Z stamps include Carrick-a-Rede in Northern Ireland, Forth Railway Bridge in Scotland and Harlech Castle in Wales amongst others.

    The set of 12 stamps feature the following landmarks:

    A = Angel of the North (Gateshead, Tyne and Wear)
    B = Blackpool Tower (Blackpool, Lancashire)
    C = Carrick-a-Rede (Ballintoy, County Antrim)
    D = Downing Street (London)
    E = Edinburgh Castle (Edinburgh, Scotland)
    F = Forth Railway Bridge (Firth of Forth, Scotland)
    G = Glastonbury Tor (Glastonbury, Somerset)
    H = Harlech Castle (Harlech, Gwynedd)
    I = Ironbridge (Ironbridge Gorge, Shropshire)
    J = Jodrell Bank (Cheshire)
    K = Kursaal (Southend, Essex)
    L = Lindisfarne Priory (Berwick Upon Tweet, Northumberland)

    UK A-Z Part 2, covering letters M to Z, will follow in April 2012.

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  6. Royal Mail welcomes Postcomm’s approval of commercial changes
    • The changes approved by Postcomm today (Friday 30th September 2011) better reflect the way people use our service now.
    • They are a step towards creating a more level playing field between Royal Mail and other delivery companies.
    • Royal Mail now awaits the outcome of an Ofcom consultation on whether there will be continued regulation of Royal Mail and, if so, to what extent.
    The changes approved by Postcomm today include:

    • Amending compensation arrangements for business contract customers. This brings Royal Mail more in line with the delivery market. The change will not affect consumers or the vast majority of small business customers who use stamped and franked mail and parcels.
    • Reducing the claim period for loss or damage from 12 months to 80 calendar days after the date of posting. Two thirds of consumer claims are already made within two months and 90 per cent within three months. In the wider delivery market, customers have 28 days to make a claim for compensation.
    • Piloting of a scheme in which items that are too big for the letterbox or require a signature can be delivered to a neighbouring address if no-one is at home. Royal Mail is the only delivery company that is not allowed to deliver to a neighbour as part of its standard practice. The overwhelming majority of customers support the initiative.
    The changes are part of a process of bringing Royal Mail’s terms and conditions more in line with other delivery companies. Royal Mail will continue to provide a high level of service with minimum standards that are among the highest in Europe.

    The regulator’s decisions – available at www.psc.gov.uk (new window) – are a step towards lifting some of the many restrictions that Royal Mail faces but which other companies do not. Royal Mail now awaits the outcome of an Ofcom consultation on the future regulation of Royal Mail.

    Stephen Agar, Royal Mail’s Director of Regulated Business, said: “The changes that have been approved better reflect today’s market. They are a step in towards creating a more level playing field between Royal Mail and other delivery companies. Royal Mail now awaits the outcome of an Ofcom consultation on future regulation of our company.”

    Changes to compensation for business contract customers
    Postcomm has approved Royal Mail’s application to change its compensation arrangements for business contract customers. Royal Mail is now finalising its plans for implementing the change and will communicate with customers in due course. The change means compensation will no longer be available for loss or damage to postal items sent using untracked services such as Mailsort or Packetpost. None of the major UK delivery companies provide large businesses with compensation for loss or damage for untracked delivery services.

    These changes will not affect consumers or the vast majority of small business customers who use stamped and franked mail and parcels. Royal Mail made the application to make changes because:

    • Current compensation arrangements are not in tune with the reality of today’s market.
    • Customers increasingly want tracked services. Royal Mail has invested heavily in these services to meet the changing market demands. The improved range of delivery services Royal Mail offers enables customers to choose the right service to meet their needs for speed, tracking and compensation.
    Changes to compensation claim period for businesses and consumers
    Postcomm has approved Royal Mail’s application to reduce its compensation claim period. Businesses and consumers can currently claim for loss or damage of postal items up to 12 months after an item was sent. It is extremely difficult for Royal Mail to investigate a claim so long after the item was posted.

    Approximately 67 per cent of social customers claim compensation within two months of posting; 90 per cent claim within three months. Royal Mail is now finalising its plans for implementing the change and will communicate with customers in due course. The change will reduce the claims period to 80 calendar days after the date of sending.

    Delivering undeliverable items to a neighbour
    Approval has been given by Postcomm for Royal Mail to pilot an initiative to make it easier for customers who are not at home to receive items that require a signature or are too large to go through the letterbox. Royal Mail is the only delivery company that is not allowed to deliver to a neighbour as part of its standard practice.

    Independent research by Tpoll on behalf of Royal Mail has revealed that the overwhelming majority of consumers would welcome the initiative. The study found that 91.55 per cent of people supported the delivery of undeliverable items to neighbour if they had the ability to opt out. Less than four per cent were not in favour of the initiative.

    Royal Mail is now finalising plans for the pilot and more detail will follow in due course. Customers in pilot areas will be informed of the initiative and given the opportunity to opt out of the delivery to neighbour scheme. The pilot will include Recorded Signed For™ letters which require a signature on delivery but Special Delivery™ mail is not part of the pilot scheme.

    View our full press statement (new window)
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  7. On your marks, sharpen your pencils get set and go! Sally Gunnell OBE starts Royal Mail’s annual letter writing competition
    • Royal Mail invites children to write a letter about what the Olympics means to them
    • More information available at www.royalmailgroup.com
    • Closing date for entries 25th November 2011
    On your marks, sharpen your pencils, get set and go as today (22nd September) Sally Gunnell OBE starts the race to find the UK’s best young letter writer.

    The theme of Royal Mail’s Young Letter Writing Competition is What The Olympics Means To Me. The competition is open to children between the ages of seven and 11. The first hurdle for children to clear is to get their thinking caps on and put pen to paper. The finishing line is the closing date of 25th November 2011, with winners announced in Spring 2012.

    Olympic Gold Medallist, Sally Gunnell who launched the competition and will also help judge the national winner, said: “I’m looking forward to reading lots of imaginative and fun letters about what the Olympics means to the nation’s children, and I’m hoping to see some truly original and personal insights.

    “Letters can be just one or two pages and they can be illustrated with drawings and pictures, so come on kids, flex those creative muscles and remember you have to be in it to win it.”

    The competition will run with 10 heats across the UK with the overall national winner chosen from the heat winners. The national winner’s letter will be entered into the Universal Postal Union’s international Olympic letter writing competition next year.

    The prize for the overall winner will be a weekend in London for four people where the winner will receive their award from Sally Gunnell on the morning of Monday 19th March 2012.

    More information on how to enter can be found at Royal Mail Young Letter Writing Competition or by calling 0151 284 1221.

    Entries should be sent by 25th November 2011 to:

    FREEPOST
    Royal Mail’s Young Letter Writing Competition
    100 Victoria Embankment
    London
    EC4Y 0HQ
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  8. Changes to HMRC Import VAT on goods imported on or after 1 November 2011
    With effect from 1 November 2011, the threshold over which commercially imported goods are subject to import VAT will reduce from £18 to £15. However, this change does not affect any other Customs thresholds or reliefs.

    This means that from 1 November 2011, commercial consignments of £15 or less, excluding alcohol, tobacco products, perfume or toilet waters, will be free from customs duty and import VAT.

    Commercial consignments with a value exceeding £15 imported on or after 1 November 2011 will be liable to import VAT. Further information can be found on the Business Link website at businesslink.gov.uk (new window).

    Customers are informed that the RM handling fee for items that have attracted a customs charge will remain at £8.
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  9. Royal Mail stamps to go for gold in London 2012
    • Royal Mail stamps to be issued to mark all Team GB gold medal wins
    • Gold medal stamps a first for Royal Mail
    • Only 3rd time a host nation has issued individual Olympic gold medal stamps
    • Stephen Agar from Royal Mail said: "We're delighted to announce we will be issuing these very special gold medal stamps. We hope that we will be printing many sets, just as the Nation hopes that it will be celebrating many victories next summer."
    With one year to go to London 2012, Royal Mail has announced that it will issue special gold medal stamps to celebrate Team GB Olympic gold medal wins.

    This is the first time that Royal Mail has issued stamps to mark Olympic victories. The stamps will feature both individual and team gold medal wins.

    Details of the actual designs themselves are set to be announced later, when Royal Mail will also announce its plans to commemorate the Paralympic Games.

    Royal Mail issued its first Olympic Games Stamps in 1948, with four stamps bearing the five Olympic Rings. No stamps were issued in 1908 as Royal Mail stamps at that time bore images of the reigning monarch only.

    At the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Team GB won 19 gold medals. Stephen Agar from Royal Mail said: “We’re delighted to announce we will be issuing these very special gold medal stamps. We hope that we will be printing many sets, just as the Nation hopes that it will be celebrating many victories next summer.”

    It will be the third time a host nation has issued stamps to mark individual Olympic gold medal wins. Australia Post was the first postal service to issue gold medal stamps to mark home team Olympic victories in 2000, with Hellenic Post in Greece following suit in 2004. In 2008 China Post issued a single commemorate sheet of stamps to mark their national team’s success in Beijing. More recently Canada Post issued a stamp to mark the first ever gold medal won on home territory at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver in 2010.

    The 27th July sees the issue of the final set of ten stamps in Royal Mail’s countdown to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The three-part series has seen 30 stamps issued, reflecting all sports competed.

    Royal Mail has a history of celebrating key moments in UK sporting history. England’s World Cup football victory in 1966 was the first UK sporting achievement to be marked by a set of Special Stamps with more recent stamp issues featuring the England rugby team’s 2003 historic World Cup win and the English cricket team’s 2005 memorable Ashes success.

    For information on Royal Mail’s range of Olympic and Paralympic Stamps visit royalmail.com/sportscollection.
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  10. Royal Mail response to Which? survey
    We are pleased the Which? survey found that 84 per cent of its respondents are either satisfied or very satisfied with the service provided by Royal Mail. This compares very favourably with many other industries. We acknowledge, however, there is no room for complacency. We believe it is unfortunate, however, that Which? chose to only reveal the high Royal Mail satisfaction rating towards the end of the report they are publishing today.

    We note that the Which? survey found 12 per cent of respondents were dissatisfied with the service Royal Mail provided. We recognise that there are areas where we can improve and we are working hard to do so.

    The Which? survey covers quality of service and postage prices. Our position on these is very clear. Our prices are among the lowest in Europe. Most countries do not provide a six-day service, or enable their customers to post as late in the day as we do. Our standards for on time performance are higher than most countries. We achieved our First Class quality target with a 93% performance when account is taken of the impact of the extraordinary combination of the worst winter weather in living memory and the unprecedented closure of UK airspace, because of the Icelandic volcanic ash.

    Which? suggests that many people it surveyed had received their post late in the day. The survey does not make clear what it means by “late”. Royal Mail’s aim is to deliver the mail before 3pm in urban areas. We also note more than 90 per cent of Which? diarists actually received their mail by 1pm. If anyone experiences the misdelivery of mail, or the delivery of a ‘while you were out’ card when they are in, we would urge them to contact us at royalmail.com/customerservices so that we can ensure this is not repeated.
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  11. April 4th price changes
    Royal Mail announced its annual stamp price rises which took effect from 4 April 2011. Following these increases, UK stamp prices for standard letters weighing up to 100g continue to be amongst the lowest in Europe.

    The announcement followed Postcomm's decisions, published on 8 November, when the  regulator said Royal Mail could increase the price of stamped mail services by 10% on average and individual stamped mail services by up to 13%. The overall  increase to stamped mail prices will add around 7p to the average UK household’s  weekly spend of around 60p on postage.

    The  main price increases are:
    • The price of First and  Second class stamps for standard items weighing up to 100g will rise by 5p to  46p and 4p to 36p respectively.
    • The cost of a Large Letter  stamp will rise by 9p to 75p for First Class items and 7p to 58p for Second  Class mail.
    • An increase in prices for  franked mail by 3p to 39p for standard First Class items and by 3p to 28p for  Second Class Mail. This is the first increase for two years on franked mail  following a price freeze last year.

    Moya  Greene, Royal Mail’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “We have thought carefully  about these increases as we are conscious of the difficult economic circumstances our customers are facing. No-one likes to pay more and we regret  having had to take these tough decisions on pricing. After these increases, we  will continue providing value-for-money as our prices will still be among the  lowest in Europe.

    “We are  investing heavily to modernise our operations, which is all about providing our  customers with the services they need in today’s open, highly competitive postal  marketplace.  With the sharp declines in mail volume, our revenues are  falling. That means if we don’t generate more income, we will simply not be able  to keep funding our six-days-a-week collection, sorting, transport and delivery  operation to the UK’s 28 million homes and  businesses.

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  12. Royal Mail becomes world's first postal company to offer digital watermarking
    • Royal Mail launches interactive post with digital watermarking technology
    • Landmark deal means companies can link consumers to websites and videos through the post
    • Customers use their 3G phone to scan digitally-enhanced mail

    Royal Mail has become the world’s first postal company to help businesses make their post interactive using digital watermarking technology.

    Combining state-of-the-art technology with history and heritage enables people to link from their post to a company’s online content, such as a website, video or Facebook page, in seconds.

    People receiving the digitally-enhanced post simply scan the mail with their 3G phone to start an online journey.

    To view the digital content, people who receive a mailing with the digital watermark technology will simply download the free Digital Space App (available shortly from the Apple and Android App stores). By holding the 3G phone over the digitally watermarked image - which is indicated by a symbol - users are then given instant access to the digital content available.

    The solution, launched by Royal Mail’s Door to Door unit in partnership with Digital Space, provides a digital watermark that can be embedded into pictures on leaflets and mailings. The watermark enables marketers to integrate their print and online material without the need for barcodes or QR codes.

    The digital watermark has no impact on the design and layout of a piece of mail:
    • The watermark is embedded into the existing design
    • No special inks or changes to the printing processes are required
    Dave Smith, Royal Mail’s Chief Customer Officer, said: “Royal Mail is committed to helping make leaflets and mailings increasingly sophisticated and engaging for the people who receive them. This landmark partnership means that Royal Mail is the first postal company in the world to offer digital watermarking technology to its customers."
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  13. Royal Mail launches improved tracked delivery services to SME customers
    Royal Mail has launched its improved and extended range of tracked services to smaller retailers to help them improve the delivery experience for their customers.

    More than 1,500 retailers are currently registered to use Royal Mail Tracked®, a low cost, two-day delivery service which tracks an item’s progress at every stage from the retailer’s warehouse to the customer’s doorstep, with confirmation of the successful delivery of a parcel within 15 minutes.

    Now Royal Mail Tracked® gives smaller e-tailers and catalogue companies the option to choose to send delivery updates to consumers by text or email. Royal Mail successfully rolled out the additional service options, which also include signature on delivery, management reports available to retailers to help them manage call handling and a 15kg weight limit, to large volume retailers this year.

    Royal Mail has also launched the Royal Mail Tracked Next Day® product for large and smaller volume retailers who want to offer their shoppers an even quicker delivery. The service aims to fill a gap in its product range since arming its 35,000 delivery postmen and women with new hand-held devices to track packets and parcels to the doorstep.

    To make it easier for smaller retailers to take advantage of the improved tracked services, Royal Mail has also developed a new despatch management system, Despatch Manager Online™, which enables account customers to quickly set up and produce barcoded parcel labels online.

    Gary Winter, Head of Goods Fulfilment at Royal Mail said: “Royal Mail is determined to invest to maintain and increase our share of the growing online retailing sector by extending our range of tracked services to our small and medium sized customers".
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  14. Your invite to the Royal Mail Opinion Forum

    At Royal Mail we are constantly looking at ways to improve the products and services we offer to you. As a valued customer, we would be delighted if you were to join the new Royal Mail Opinion Forum. Becoming a member of this online customer forum will give you the chance to help to shape the future of Royal Mail.

    The online consumer community will give you access to polls, surveys and forums through which you can tell us what you honestly think of Royal Mail. At regular intervals we will collect all the results and use them to influence decisions made about Royal Mail services.

    Created by our Customer Insight team, the Royal Mail Opinion Forum provides all our customers with a quick and easy way to contribute their opinions on Royal Mail services.

    Registration is quick and easy … simply choose whether to register as a personal customer or as a business:

    Register as a business (new window)

    Register as a personal customer (new window)

    5 benefits of joining:

    1. The choice is yours. Polls, surveys or discussion forums - chose one that suits how much time you have and how much you want to say
    2. For every survey you take part in, 50p will be donated to our charity partner Barnardo’s
    3. Automatic entry into our prize draw to win £100 with each survey or discussion forum you complete
    4. Chat with other Royal Mail customers and collate your opinions and ideas
    5. Read and take part in up-to-the-minute polls on topic subjects

    We look forward to hearing from you soon.

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  15. Royal Mail launches evening delivery trial to give online shoppers control

    Royal Mail has launched a trial of evening deliveries as part of its drive to give shoppers even greater control over the delivery of items they have ordered online.

    As part of the six month trial, people living within the M25 can select an evening delivery option for items they have ordered from participating retailers. House of Fraser and beauty product specialist L’Occitane are taking part in the project and Royal Mail is talking to other retailers about joining the trial.

    This is the latest initiative by Royal Mail to make it even easier for people to receive items they have ordered online or from a catalogue. Royal Mail is currently extending the opening times of more than 600 of its busiest delivery offices until 8pm on a Wednesday to make it even easier for people to receive items that could not be delivered during the day because no-one was at home.

    Mike Brown, Royal Mail’s Fulfilment Director, said:“Royal Mail is continually looking at ways in which we can invest in new services and innovations to help both retailers and shoppers have even greater choice over the delivery of items.”

    Although the UKonline shopping market continues to grow, with IMRG, the industry association for e-commerce, expecting annual sales of £56 billion this year, a recent study by Royal Mail revealed that 58% of people said they would shop more online if there were more flexible delivery options.

    The trial enables shoppers at House of Fraser and L’Occitane to ask, at the point of order, for items to be delivered in the evening between 6pm and 10pm.

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