Digital inclusion: A role for postal operators in a smart world

Abstract

Postal Operators (POs) worldwide are launching digital solutions in an attempt to counteract the effects of a decline in mail volume. The cause of this decline in mail volumes is seen to be an increase in use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), resulting in fewer letters being posted (Rogowsky 2013). Specific sections of society, for numerous reasons, remain static in their use of digital tools. Just 33 % of small to medium-sized companies in the UK have a digital presence and only 14 % sell their products online. Added to this, there are costs of leaving out a section of the public who do not access services digitally. Local authorities, in their need to serve all their constituents, increasingly find themselves with the challenge of engaging these constituents (Goraya et al. 2011).