Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Designated Operators (DO) around the world have been working at the forefront not only in their traditional role as logistics providers, but also expanding social, financial and delivery services to assist governments, support businesses and serve citizens during these times of restraint. A study by the Direct Marketing Advisory Board of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) has drawn up an overview of postal services today.

The pandemic has amplified the two main propositions of all Postal Offices around the world: first, that of being a provider of what are considered to be essential communication (mail, including direct mail, and parcels) and health (medicines) services; second, their role as custodians of an essential infrastructure composed of tangible (post offices) and intangible (local knowledge and trust) assets, a widespread network within communities.

The study provided by DMAB also shows how Postal Offices have made efforts to offer new services, especially in the electronic and financial sectors.

A study by UPU shows that since April 2020, due to restrictions on international transport and longer delays at customs, trade between borders has dropped by 21% with a consequent negative impact on the international supply chain. On the other hand, COVID-19 has greatly accelerated the growth of e-commerce, with a year-on-year increase in online spending that reached 77% (Adobe study). Online shopping will continue to thrive even after the pandemic, and post offices around the world are experiencing double-digit growth in e-commerce transactions and deliveries.

Also the Direct Mailing service was affected by COVID-19. In most markets, direct marketing volumes have decreased, in line with global mail trends. However, the pandemic has amplified consumer behaviours that already existed in some important markets, such as domestic e-commerce and home delivery services. In these contexts the impact of addressed and unaddressed direct mail has been considerable.

Overall, on a global level, the DMAB study on direct and digital marketing shows that in recent years an increasing number of Post Offices have added value to mail distribution by offering services of consultancy, data and list management creativity; printing and finishing services: 43% of surveyed Post Offices are offering mailing list services, 37% have mapping and profiling capabilities for unaddressed direct mail actions, 56% are offering envelope preparation services and 44% are managing returns.