The future is in the post: perspectives on strategy in the postal industry.

This book is about ‘the post’ and its future. For many this means direct mail, and a common assumption is that this is a sector in almost inevitable decline. But to believe this is to take a far-too-limited view. In fact never has the business of the post been more exciting and challenging, and seldom have there been so many opportunities that could be grasped. With digital convergence direct mail has become an integral part of the media mix; electronic commerce has contributed to a healthy development in the traffic of parcels; and for those postal operators active in banking, finance and insurance competition and digitisation has offered new opportunities. In The Future Is in the Post an international group of highly experienced industry thought leaders discuss some of the strategic choices facing postal operators. Their discussion of the main drivers for change provides managers, suppliers, customers, policy-makers and politicians, regulators, and academics with insights into the challenges and opportunities the sector is facing, and how strategically the industry is responding. The Future Is in the Post shows clearly that there is no ‘one size fits all’ recipe for strategic success and that each business will need to determine its own route to survival. The sixteen contributors include those with senior managerial experience in posts in Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK, together with representatives of several major international consultancy organisations to posts and governments plus senior executives from international companies that are major users of, or suppliers to, the posts