Australia Post boosts e-commerce and plans ‘post office of the future’

Australia Post has partnered with PayPal in the ‘Driving Business Online’ campaign to helpAustralian businesses benefit from the rapid growth in online shopping and plans a ‘post office of

The partnership with PayPal is part of Australia Post’s commitment to growing the e-commercemarket in the country. The Driving Business Online campaign will see a bus tour through 15 towns inregional New South Wales, where local businesses will have the opportunity to participate inone-on-one consultations bus with trusted eCommerce experts.

Australia Post Managing Director and CEO, Ahmed Fahour, commented: “The increasing popularity ofonline shopping presents Australian small businesses with a real opportunity to take advantage ofthis emerging market. More than half of our business contract customers already have an onlinepresence and this number will rapidly increase as online shopping is projected to grow at more than10% each year over the next decade.”

Last year, Australia Post delivered more than 100 million parcels with 70% of this volumegenerated by online shopping. “Australia Post is working around the clock on a range of initiativesto help make ecommerce more convenient for customers and businesses,” Fahour added.

Separately, Australia Post plans to launch an innovative store called ‘post office of thefuture’ showcasing a range of new services to offer customers greater access, convenience andchoice in the way they transact with Australia Post.

The store will offer a dedicated area for online shopping where online traders can fulfill theirpostage needs, a travel services zone and a private lounge where customers can complete morecomplex financial and identity services transactions. It will also have a 24/7 zone for customersto pick up parcels, vending machines to buy stamps and packaging products enabling customers toweigh and send parcels at any time that suits them.

The Brisbane GPO has been chosen as the first site for the new store, which was also thelocation of the first PostShop back in October 1989. The concept store at Brisbane GPO is expectedto be completed by the end of the year, the company said in a statement.