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THE HUMBLE postage stamp is joining the digital revolution with barcodes which will allow recipients of letters to watch videos or read messages composed by the sender.
Whether greetings or birthday wishes, the Royal Mail has hailed the move as a ‘new era for stamps’ and follows a successful trial.
Unique barcodes are being added to all regular so-called ‘definitive’ stamps – those with the picture of Her Majesty the Queen – and Christmas stamps.
Non-barcoded stamps will be phased out, but remain usable until the end of January next year.
The Royal Mail said each barcoded stamp would have a digital ‘twin’, with the two connected by the Royal Mail App.
Customers can scan the barcodes in the app and will eventually be able to watch videos, information about services, or even birthday messages and other greetings from senders.
At the moment, a video featuring Shaun the Sheep, created exclusively for Royal Mail by animation studio Aardman, can be viewed.
Nick Landon, Royal Mail chief commercial officer, said: “Introducing unique barcodes on our postage stamps allows us to connect the physical letter with the digital world and opens up the possibilities for a range of new innovative services in future.”
