Emerging
as a leading distribution channel for the e-commerce sector, India Post
collected over Rs 800 Crore through cash-on-delivery (CoD) facility and is
looking to further strengthen its position in the segment by starting a pilot
service for same-day delivery.
The
postal department has also earned around Rs 70-80 crore through speed post in
the year 2014-15 from e-commerce business.
"Since
the introduction of CoD facility, the Department of Post has collected more
than Rs 800 crore and remitted to customers," an official said.
In
order to generate more business, the postal department is reviewing its service
features to attract more number of e-commerce customers, the official further
said.
"As
part of this exercise, the Department of Posts has started pilot for same/next
day delivery in identified cities for identified PIN codes. A national account
facility has also been introduced under Speed Post," he added.
The
CoD facility was launched in December 2013 to cater to the needs of customers
and benefits from the growing e-commerce market.
The
CoD has emerged as one of the most sought after services for e-commerce
entities. Customers in the country tend to prefer CoD as the online payment
modes are yet to catch up in many parts of the country while many people are
not comfortable with advance payments for products purchased online.
The
initiatives taken by the department for parcel segment have resulted in revenue
of Rs 105.51 crore in 2014-15.
With
dwindling letter or document traffic, the department is focusing on the
fast-growing parcel segment and various measures have been taken to modernise
the department under the Digital India initiative.
As
part of initiatives to leverage the e-commerce sector, the department has
forged tie-ups with leading online market places like Snapdeal, Amazon, Paytm
and Yepme for parcel delivery and has also set up modernised 48 centres to
handle the packages.
The
e-commerce sector in India is growing at 47 per cent CAGR and India Post is the
only delivery agency with a pan-India reach, the official said.
Communications
and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had earlier said that India Post with the
world's largest postal network was best suited to offer delivery services to
e-commerce firms.
The
Minister had suggested that India Post should strive to become the largest
player in the e-commerce segment.
The
Postal Department has 1,54,882 post offices, of which 1,39,182 are in rural
areas. The department employs around 4,60,000 personnel and handles close to
six billion mail pieces in a year.
Source:NDTV Profit
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