back to all industries

Postal & Courier Activities

The Postal and Courier Activities industry in the UK has undergone significant changes due to the liberalization of the postal market, which has introduced competition to Royal Mail. While demand for traditional postal services has declined with the rise of online communication, the parcel delivery segment remains robust, driven by the growth in online shopping.

£41B

Postal and Courier Activities Market Size

42.49

There are 42,490 enterprises in the postal and courier sector.

21.5%

Industry Employment

The Postal and Courier Activities industry has undergone considerable structural change over the past decade, prompted by the continual liberalisation of the UK postal market, which allows other businesses to compete with the former state monopoly, Royal Mail. The activities covered by the industry can be split into two main categories: postal delivery and parcel delivery.

Industry Challenges

  • Staff shortages
  • Increase in demand; getting products where they need to be when they need to be there continues to be critically important
  • Supply chain disruptions
  • Staying abreast of the latest regulations and restrictions and keeping customers up to date and informed about any possible issues with their shipments

(Parcel and Postal Technology International, 2022)

The popularity of online forms of communication has caused demand for traditional post services to plunge. However, significant opportunities remain in the parcel delivery segment because consumers are expected to continue making considerable volumes of online purchases. Operators are expected to continue introducing new parcel services at additional costs, such as same-day delivery or green delivery options, to meet consumers’ needs.

Industry Opportunities

  • E-Commerce (Business Wire, 2022)
  • AI-powered robotics (Parcel and Postal Technology International, 2022)
  • Service offerings differentiation in the view of market share gain
  • Automation Technology (Parcel and Postal Technology International, 2022)

(Ibis World, 2021)

Our clients in the industry