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Date:02 July 2012

IMRG joins the UPU Consultative Committee

IMRG, the UK’s industry association for e-retailing,  has been accepted as member of the Consultative Committee of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), based in Berne, Switzerland.

The Committee, whose members are postal stakeholders, represents the interests of the wider postal sector and provides a framework for effective dialogue, enabling it to play a key role in developing a more global vision to address the issues affecting the sector. This role greatly enhances the UPU's effectiveness and value to the industry.

The Committee consists of non-governmental organizations representing consumers, delivery-service providers, worker unions, suppliers of goods and services to the postal sector and individual and company organizations that have an interest in supporting the UPU's mission and objectives. Representatives of the UPU membership are also appointed to the Committee to facilitate interaction and collaboration.

Aad Weening, Head of International at IMRG, said: ““The future of e-retail is definitely global and with the inevitable slowing of growth in several major markets in the likes of North America and Europe, it is important for businesses to understand where the future opportunities will be. Cross-border has been rapidly growing these last few years and IMRG is there to assist and guide companies in developing their international strategy. Close cooperation with postal operators and an important organisation such as UPU is essential to identify the barriers and opportunities of the global market and to smooth the way for online merchants.”

Online cross-border trade is on the rise and the opportunities for moving packages are ripe for postal companies. In the past decade, consumers’ buying habits have undergone a sea-change and the hunger for online shopping shows no sign of abating. Global B2C e-commerce could be worth more than $1.1 trillion in 2012, according to IMRG’s B2C Global e-Commerce Overview 2012.

e-Commerce growth is a boon for postal operators, which are the carriers of choice for final mile delivery of parcels and packets to the consumer. Parcels and packages is a growing sector for postal operators, generating an estimated 11 billion parcels annually and growing.

Edouard Dayan, Director General of the UPU: “The UPU is constantly striving to improve quality of service for parcels and packages so that market needs are met via a totally reliable delivery network. Customers want to track what they have posted, which is why we are developing such a system that works all over the world. e-Commerce and supply chain integration are key pillars of the world postal strategy to be adopted by 192 member countries at the 25th UPU Congress in Doha, Qatar. We are looking forward to a fruitful relationship with IMRG”.


About the UPU
Established in 1874, the Universal Postal Union (UPU), with its headquarters in the Swiss capital Berne, is the second oldest international organization worldwide. With its 192 member countries, the UPU is the primary forum for cooperation between postal sector players. It helps to ensure a truly universal network of up-to-date products and services. In this way, the organization fulfils an advisory, mediating and liaison role, and provides technical assistance where needed. It sets the rules for international mail exchanges and makes recommendations to stimulate growth in mail, parcel and financial services volumes and improve quality of service for customers.

About IMRG
IMRG (Interactive Media in Retail Group) is the UK’s industry association for e-retailing. IMRG is a membership community, set up to develop and the latest best practice advice to enable retailers to succeed in the world’s most competitive online market. IMRG is the recognised authoritative voice of e-retail, supporting and promoting online shopping and digital commerce since 1990. The mission of IMRG International is to inform, assist and enable the successful adoption of interactive media by businesses and governments around the globe, by providing access to intelligence and know-how and by assistance and guidance in identifying and accessing markets.