Royal Mail teams up with China Post for new trackable service 

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 5-7 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 % 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.

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.

Royal Mail already has a well-established digital marketplace presence in China on the popular online marketplace Tmall, operated by Alibaba.

A spokesperson for Royal Mail said: “China is already the world’s largest online market with e-commerce 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. E-commerce, 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.”