E-Commerce growing

Postmaster General, Margaret Ashby, is urging members of the postal sector across the region to see the post as being critical for the vibrancy of their economies.

She said this can only be achieved by embracing the fast-growing industry of E-Commerce.

The Head of Barbados’ Postal Service was at the time addressing yesterday’s opening ceremony of the Universal Postal Union (UPU)/Caribbean Postal Union (CPU) “Operational Readiness for E-Commerce” workshop, which is ensuring that regional postal management is well-equipped for managing post offices in the current social and business environment.

“I want to thank the Universal Postal Union for its foresight, in developing this workshop to assist countries in our region in their readiness to benefit from this potentially new revenue stream,” she expressed.

The workshop, which is being held at the Caribbean Postal Training Centre, located in the General Post Office building Cheapside, Bridgetown, has attracted 50 participants from across the Caribbean. Topics will include: E-Commerce market needs and key elements; E-Commerce key elements for the Post; UPU Electronic Services for E-Commerce; and Operational Readiness for E-Commerce.

“The fact that all of you are here in Barbados at this workshop says that your countries see the importance of E-Commerce, in not only moving the post forward, but in moving their countries forward.”

Permanent Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Gayle Francis-Vaughan, said that according to the Regional Development Plan 2017-2020 for the Caribbean and Latin American region, UPU has projected that parcel post growth rates will increase by five per cent by 2020 – up from three per cent in 2014. She noted that other research on E-Commerce suggest that in 2018, 139.3 million people in Latin America are expected to buy goods and services online – this is up from 84.7 million in 2013.

“You see how rapidly this E-Commerce is growing in the region and of course we would not want to be left out in the Caribbean. And we will of course do everything in our power to get our share of this growing market.”

The PS also recognised that the UPU framework 2017-2020 focuses on preparing posts for key roles in the E-Commerce sector. However, she stressed that there is need for more work to be done to ensure the readiness of regional postal operators, as some aspects of operations will need modernising and more customer-oriented solutions will be required.

“The Barbados Post in particular, with the implementation of the dotpost in 2016, continues to keep abreast with these dynamics as track and trace are offered in its services,” she highlighted.

Francis-Vaughan further observed that since the opening of the Caribbean Postal Training Centre in September 2014, 336 postal employees have benefited directly from training and another 2 000 indirectly, by means of the train the trainer instituted method.

“This goes a long way in building capacity in the sector to assist in coping in a changing and increasingly challenging business and operating environment,” she pointed out.

“This Training Centre has been instrumental in facilitating knowledge transfer and expertise across a range of disciplines critical to the regional postal sector – including but not limited to, Disaster Risk Management, Sustainable Development and Express Mail Services (EMS) Market Development.” (TL)