Increasing numbers of rural and suburban shoppers are warming up to shopping online. As online sales multiply from these towns, more online sellers are shipping to rural buyers and this is thanks largely to India Post.
Rural shoppers logging on to online shopping sites
Surinder Singh Yadav, a government employee who lives in Ula Heedi village in Rajasthan, says, “These companies give us a variety we don’t get in our local markets, quality at competitive rates and a doorstep delivery.”
Yadav’s words indicate the changing mindset of rural shoppers to turn to online shopping.
India Post has taken up the task of delivering goods to remote villages like Ula Heedi. Several online marketplaces have reached out to India Post to help deliver consignments to rural and remote corners of India. On its part, the postal department has been adding to its existing arsenal by implementing some measures like:
- Opening dedicated ecommerce centres in Delhi and Mumbai
- Upgrading its technology
- Considering same day delivery
- Proposing to invest more in the department
Accessing the far reaches of the country
One of the major advantages that India Post has over private logistics companies is its immense network that helps it to reach the most inaccessible parts of the country like Leh.
Kavery Banerjee, secretary of India Post, says, “Until recently, people in these rural areas had aspirations but no means to access the market. Now we are delivering women’s clothes and electronic gadgets even in remote regions like Leh and Ladakh.”
It is definitely a mutually beneficial affair. India Post has delivered Cash On Delivery (COD) orders worth Rs. 1,000 crores as of December 2015. This figure is projected to witness a 300% growth in this year, says the postal department.
Ecommerce has breathed new life into India Post. With private courier companies coming into the picture, it looked like the government’s logistics provider would become redundant. However, thanks to the ever expanding scope of online commerce, India Post is coming back with a bang.
