It’s an interesting time for the postal delivery industry, with the dominance of Royal Mail – after a spate of strikes and a controversial privatisation plan – now being challenged, its rule coming under threat from a constantly improving sector of alternative business mail services.
This comes in the midst of a rocky few months for Royal Mail, with its recent flotation on the London Stock Exchange creating confusion after its undervalued stock price.
More recently, there are now reports that the service has been missing its targets for a 93 per cent delivery rate of all first-class letters on the day after collection, instead reaching only 91.7 per cent, leading to concerns and the threat of fines from industry watchdog Ofcom.
And, in all the tumult, alternative business mail services have emerged in a stronger position, with companies such as TNT Post expanding its business and going from strength to strength.
This increased level of competition was confirmed by chief executive of Royal Mail, Moya Greene, who stated, “We are seeing increased competition in the direct delivery of business mail, with TNT Post UK extending its alternative delivery operations to Greater Manchester.”
The appeal of alternative mail services
A part of the appeal of the business mail market is that they have managed to hone their service to cater especially to the corporate world, making bulk deliveries with competitive pricing that Royal Mail are yet to fully rival.
In the realms of consumer choice, delivery services such as TNT are giving a variety of options for delivery, with one of the most intriguing being their TranSend system, which allows a business to email TNT with their desired pamphlet, only for the mail service to print it out and send it off, saving your company a hefty sum of time.
It’s in such diversity that alternative mail has the edge, with other mail services providing options ideal for the smaller business.
Some companies, for instance, provide shops where you can hand in a package for delivery and use one of their fixed-price boxes or envelopes to save a little bit of cash, providing a touch of convenience for your business.
It could be the case that when the notion of the privatisation of Royal Mail becomes more normalised, the mailing giants will catch up with its competitors.
And, although Royal Mail is still a major player in the industry, it seems that in the wake of threatened strike action and various other troubles, more and more companies are taking their business to alternative services.
So, if you’re searching for a diverse delivery service that’s tailored especially for businesses of any size, you’d do well to explore all of your options in the alternative mailing service before leaping straight to Royal Mail.
Photo credit: Monica Arellano-Ongpin
