Royal Mail launches tracked and signed service to China | London Business News

Royal Mail has launched a Tracked and Signed service to China, in collaboration with China Post. With Tracked and Signed, customers can now track their package, from arrival in a UK mail centre to arrival in China, via Royal Mail. A signature is requested on receipt of delivery offering customers peace of mind that their package has been delivered safely.

Royal Mail aims to deliver to China within five to seven days. As China Post is the official postal service in China, it delivers to every corner of the country, opening the market to UK SMEs and helping them take advantage of their exporting potential. The service comes with compensation of £100 and the option to increase this to £300.

According to Royal Mail’s Delivery Matters research, confidence is high among Chinese online shoppers, and they have a real appreciation of high-quality British products and brands. However, they are also demanding when it comes to delivery. The research also shows that 90 per cent of Chinese online shoppers would make purchases online more if there were a wider range of delivery and tracking options. The new Tracked and Signed signature on delivery service can offer that peace of mind to consumers and new overseas contracts to UK businesses.

Chinese shoppers spend an average of £123 per month online. With growing internet penetration, rising middle class incomes, a desire for social status products and higher local prices, this is only set to grow. Delivery Matters also reveals the growing demand for British products, as 55 per cent of China’s online shoppers buy from the UK, spending an average of £104 per month on items from UK retailers.

The Tracked and Signed service to China can be ordered through all Royal Mail systems, including Click & Drop. Royal Mail strongly advises the supply of pre-advice customs data to avoid delays in customs.

Online marketplaces are becoming increasingly successful as they build shoppers’ trust levels and in China 85 per cent of online shoppers use online marketplaces. Royal Mail already has a well-established digital marketplace presence in China on the popular online marketplace Tmall, operated by Alibaba. Royal Mail helps retailers to enter and grow their ecommerce business in China. Big UK brands like Waitrose and Zatchels are already benefitting from Royal Mail’s Tmall store and ecommerce solutions.

Royal Mail’s Delivery Matters research found that 78 per cent of online shoppers in China have made purchases on Tmall. UK retailers can take advantage of digital marketplaces as an effective way to get products in front of millions of Chinese consumers without facing the challenges of marketing strategies, translation or set-up costs, ensuring that more businesses seize global opportunities.

A spokesperson for Royal Mail said, “China is already the world’s largest online market with ecommerce experiencing exceptional year-on-year growth. By 2020, it is expected to be bigger than the markets of the US, Japan, Germany, the UK and France combined*. With soaring confidence among Chinese online shoppers, a potential market of over 1.3 billion people and a real appreciation of high-quality British products, UK retailers should be looking to take full advantage of this opportunity. Our new Tracked and Signed service provides customers with peace of mind when sending to China.”

Richard Burn, HM Trade Commissioner to China said, “I am very pleased to hear that Royal Mail is launching this service to China. Demand for UK goods and services in China is growing and our businesses stand ready to flourish through their innovation, ambition and hard work. Ecommerce, supported by reliable distribution channels, can allow UK SMEs to break into international markets, contributing to our growing economic performance and ensuring we remain the trading partner of choice for so many around the world.

“The Exporting is GREAT campaign is encouraging more companies to think about how exporting can transform their business, and the Department for International Trade is ready to help British businesses succeed abroad in ways that never happened before.”