adminMAIL volumes for 2014 slumped 20 percent to 12.3 million pieces compared to the previous year with Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) urging players in the industry to diversify into e-commerce as their traditional services continue to take a knock from the adoption of new technologies.
In its 2014 fourth quarter report, Potraz noted an overall decline in postal and courier traffic both into and out of the country.
The reports show that the number of postal items sent locally went down by 3.3 percent to about 2.9 million while those coming in from outside declined 12.2 percent.
At 25.9 percent, international outgoing items took the biggest knock, slumping to 295,803.
“An annual comparison shows that postal and courier items sent locally declined by 20 percent to record 12,324,956 items from 12,795,184 items in 2013,” Potraz said.
The industry regulator said rise of the internet posed a major risk for the postal and courier services sector.
“The rise of the Internet has taken a heavy toll on postal and courier services as it provides an alternative to the sending of documentation both locally and internationally,” Potraz said.
“On the other hand, the internet also poses an opportunity for the postal and courier operators to diversify into e-commerce services.”
Adoption of e-commerce is likely to avail more opportunities for the sector as the same Potraz report showed that internet subscription went up 7.4 percent to nearly 6 million in the same period.
On the whole, the internet penetration rate, however, dropped to 45 percent but still presents a huge opportunity for e-commerce. — New Ziana
Online Reporter