2024 ACM Postal and Parcel Markets Scan: more parcels, fewer postal items, and decreasing reliability
Summary
- More parcels sent in 2024: volume increased more than turnover.
- Fewer postal items, reliability dropped to 86 percent.
- Substantially more package lockers added, yet at-home delivery remains the favorite option by far.
Like in the year before it, 2024 saw fewer postal items being sent. Numbers went down in both the business mail segment and the consumer mail segment, while the drop was the most marked in the latter segment. The quality also deteriorated further. Letters and postcards arrived on time less often than in previous years. The number of parcels that were sent went up again. This growth led to an increase in the turnover in the parcel market, while the turnover in the postal market decreased further. These are some of the conclusions of the annual Postal and Parcel Markets Scan of the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM).
ACM has observed that the downward trend in the reliability of the postal market in recent years is also reflected in the substantial increase in the number of complaints that it has received about mail-delivery quality. More and more reports are about postal items that arrive either late or not at all. According to the statutory requirement, at least 95 percent of postal items must be delivered the next day. In 2023, 89 percent of postal items were delivered on time. Last year, that percentage further dropped to 86 percent.
Other trends and developments
Other notable trends and developments include the volume of international parcels increasing much faster (12 percent) than the turnover thereof (5.7 percent). This means that the average revenue per parcel is going down. This trend can be partially explained by the rising popularity of Asian online stores, which often send cheaper parcels.
The scan also reveals that the trend of using sustainable transport methods (such as electric buses or cargo bikes) continues. More and more parcels are delivered ‘electrically’. The number of package lockers also increased considerably: from 2,800 to 4,800 (+70 percent). Still, this has not yet led to any major shifts between drop-off options. With over 80 percent, at-home delivery remains the favorite option. Alternatives such as pick-ups at service locations or package lockers are clearly less popular.
ACM’s role in the postal market
ACM is statutorily charged with oversight over the quality of the universal service obligation (USO). This concerns approximately 15 percent of the total national and international mail volumes. The national mail volume consists of approximately 5 percent consumer mail and 95 percent business mail. Business mail (including mail from government organizations) is not statutorily protected. The parcel market is not regulated either, and is therefore not subject to ACM’s oversight.
Each year, ACM publishes the Postal and Parcel Markets Scan, by order of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (EZ). In this Scan, ACM provides an overview of the trends and developments in the sector. The Scan can be accessed through an interactive dashboard.