Click & Drop, Royal Mail’s online tool for SME and consumer shipping, is adding multi-label postage and printing as well as international delivery services to over 200 countries and territories worldwide.
The launch of multi-label postage and printing enables marketplace sellers to buy and print postage for up to five items at once, meeting the needs of SME e-retailers. One in four (24%) SME e-retailers plans to start using online marketplaces to increase sales in 2015, according to a survey. It also reflects the popularity of marketplaces among consumers, with 83% of online shoppers now buying from such ecommerce sites, Royal Mail said.
With its marketplace integration Click & Drop imports sender information directly from the marketplace, removing the need for manual data entry and reducing the risk of mis-delivery. Click & Drop payment is accepted via PayPal, debit and credit card, making it even easier for online sellers to ship their products using Royal Mail.
Royal Mail’s international products can now also be purchased through Click & Drop. Royal Mail research found that two thirds (65%) of UK SME online retailers planned to increase international sales in 2015. This is an increase from 2014 when just four in ten (39%) said they were planning to increase overseas sales.
Senders can choose from a range of Royal Mail products including International Tracked & Signed – which provides end-to-end tracking and online delivery confirmation – International Signed – which takes a signature on delivery – as well as International Standard for cost-effective overseas delivery. International postage is available to regular users of Click & Drop, who have registered for an account, and customers using it for the first time or wishing to send a one-off item.
With Click & Drop users can post their items directly in a Royal Mail postbox or drop off at one of 11,500 Post Office branches nationwide. As part of Royal Mail's on-going investment in IT and innovation to support customers, Click & Drop will continue to launch new capabilities throughout the year.
Nick Landon, Managing Director of Royal Mail Parcels, said: "These new features make Click & Drop an even more powerful partner for SMEs and online sellers. The new features open up a world of delivery at the click of a mouse and ensure that SMEs can spend more time selling, and less time managing their distribution. These latest enhancements are part of Royal Mail's on-going programme of IT investment to make it easier to do business with us and to help small businesses to deliver on their customer promises.”
