The success of the UPU and the Post will be determined by their ability to respond to fast-changing consumer needs and expectations, according to Deputy Director General Pascal Clivaz at the UPU’s World Postal Business Forum.
For its part, the UPU will focus on innovation, integration and inclusion as the key drivers for the sector’s future, Director General Bishar Hussein said, in a statement delivered by Clivaz at the opening. The need for structural reforms in the postal business, driven by technology, was also highlighted.
“The Post must adapt to new technologies and infrastructure that will enable it to develop suitable last-mile delivery networks leading to the economic, social, financial and digital inclusion of all citizens of the world,” he said.
Given their global infrastructure, Posts have a unique role to play in delivering the promises of cross-border e-commerce. According to Clivaz, the UPU’s end-to-end framework for e-commerce, known as ECOMPRO, is the only global approach that can successfully meet the needs of all stakeholders in the e-commerce ecosystem.
Mr Clivaz concluded by saying that all players in the e-commerce market needed a “massive confidence boost” and that the international postal sector was well-placed to provide it.
The forum was also addressed by Philippe Wahl, chairman and CEO of France’s La Poste, who said that future postal business would be driven by the digital platform. “La Poste has diversified into logistics, banking and financial services, and even mobile telephone operations,” he added.
Some 3,600 attendees from around 100 countries attended POST-EXPO in Paris between September 29 and October 1. They experienced first-hand the latest developments in sorting, automation, last mile delivery, digital solutions, eco-friendly vehicles and retail technology.