In January 2018 Hpekpres (www.hpekspres.hr), Croatian Post’s express delivery service, witnessed tremendous growth in number of packages which was 40% higher compared to the same period of previous year. Such high number are the result of the ever-increasing e-commerce sector. More and more buyers shop online, and number of packages is getting bigger in both numbers and volumes. In terms of revenue it is safe to say that all logistic companies are more than pleased with such development, but this also poses operational challenges. Any, and specifically significant growth of business must be accompanied by equivalent growth in human resources and technology, particularly regarding information and communication technology.

Traditional models of delivery cannot follow increased demand without increased transport costs. That’s why big postal operators, including Croatian post, explore different opportunities such as parcel sorting automation, pre-advance delivery notification, alternative delivery location, cognitive/predictive 24/7 logistic. Parcels of the future could be delivered to your current location by tracking your mobile GPS signal without the need for a physical address. The role of couriers will also change, and we can expect them to become salesmen who might sell merchandise directly from vehicles.

Today’s modern customers want full control over their parcel delivery and they expect fast and cheap, if not free delivery. On several developed markets, same day delivery is already offered when buying through web shops.

In order to meet growing customer demands, courier companies must invest in (IT) infrastructure and constantly track disruptive technologies and hype trends with deep insight to what will not change in next 5-10 years. With this in mind and through development of new delivery models, parcel delivery will become simpler, cheaper and faster and customers will, in return, become more satisfied.

Croatian post with its Development Strategy Post2022 recognizes emerging trends and therefore digitalization and corporate social responsibility are two foundations and development philosophies which enable us to fulfil our mission: Croatian post – at the service of citizens.