- In a world where 60% of Internet traffic is via mobile devices, a well-thought-out and well-made mobile application is a natural tool that allows customers to conveniently use the services of all brands: from retail, through logistics, to services.
- Unfortunately, in the case of Poczta Polska, the application not only does not keep pace with the competition, but also does not meet global standards for postal operators. Poczta Polska's ambitions will not come true without doing its homework on the strategy of the digital ecosystem in which its customers operate.
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Is the online store an emanation of Poczta Polska's business strategy?
Poczta Polska has launched a new online store. The first observations and comments from the digital industry are not very enthusiastic – from comments regarding the graphic design to errors in the field of User Experience (lack of consistency of messages or lack of error handling in the transaction path).
However, it is worth asking the question: why was this store created? Was its creation preceded by the digital ecosystem strategy of the National Postal Operator, where all points of contact with customers in the digital world were analyzed, the role of individual channels in customers' lives was determined and the values provided by Poczta Polska in this area were developed? – wonders Izabela Franke, Head of Advisory at Future Mind.
The new Poczta store combines all options
Previously, Poczta Polska had two online stores – a store for philatelists and a store with packaging and shipping supplies. It also provided the opportunity to order press subscriptions. The new store combined all these options and added the so-called soap and jam. Is there justification for moving the product strategy from offline to online? It seems not, because the shopping missions of customers visiting post offices (especially in non-big city areas) differ from the needs of Poles sitting in front of a computer screen.
Does the Poczta store's offer offer competitive advantages over its broad and strong indirect competition? Also not.
– Parcel delivery time is 1-5 days, while customers are already accustomed to 24-48 hours. Shipping costs – apart from the current promotion – for purchases worth up to PLN 49.99, shipping will cost PLN 12. These are also higher thresholds than in marketplaces such as Allegro or Empik. So maybe a wide product offer? To start with, the store has approximately 2,500 products, but over half of them belong to the philately category. In the household chemicals category, for example, we can find only a dozen or so products from one brand. All this raises many questions about Poczta Polska's strategy, understanding the needs of potential customers and the business case – points out Izabela Franke.
The post office wants to be up to date
At the beginning of July, the Ministry of State Assets announced that "currently, the post office is not adapted to the market needs of customers and to cope with competition" and announced the development of a transformation plan "from an unprofitable letter company to a profitable logistics and digital company."
– It seems that the newly launched online store should be re-evaluated on this occasion, but, more importantly, a lot of attention should be directed primarily to the area of mobile applications. Poczta Polska already offers its customers the "Pocztex mobile" application, unfortunately user ratings and comments leave no doubt – the application is useless, it offers less information on tracking parcels than the identical service on the website, and the functionality of sending parcels consists simply in redirecting users to website. In a situation where the mobile channel in Poland is constantly growing, this state of affairs seems unwise from a long-term business perspective – says the expert.
The InPost application is a model on the Polish market, but mobile applications have become a key tool in the digital transformation strategy of national postal operators around the world. Many of them have already noticed the huge potential in building relationships with customers through mobile applications. The popularity of these applications is growing year by year, reflecting consumers' changing expectations of postal services.
Today, customers expect fast, convenient and transparent access to services that mobile applications can provide. Applications of leading postal operators, such as USPS in the USA or Royal Mail in the UK, have millions of downloads and active users per month. The functionalities offered by applications of operators from the USA, UK, Germany, France and Australia have evolved from simple shipment tracking to comprehensive service platforms. Modern postal applications offer a number of advanced functions, such as tracking shipments in real time, searching for branches and parcel machines, postage calculators, planning parcel collection, purchasing digital postage stamps, integration with e-commerce platforms or access to financial services (in the case of operators offering banking services).
– These features not only make it easier to use postal services, but also build customer loyalty by providing them with a convenient and personalized experience. The success of mobile applications depends on their quality and functionality. Operators who invest in the development of intuitive, stable and feature-rich applications record higher customer satisfaction and loyalty rates. On the other hand, low-quality digital products may negatively impact the brand's image, as shown by the example of the poorly rated Poczta Polska application – explains the representative of Future Mind.
– The transformation announced by Poczta Polska absolutely requires the development of tools that will enable customers to conveniently manage key brand services – a mobile application is a natural direction here. Trying to enter the digital world in categories where the competition deals the cards, such as online stores and marketplaces, is a risky move with a high risk of failure – sums up Izabela Franke.
