Parcel Payment Technologies and Payment Strategies

As consumers and small businesses increasingly use computers, smartphones, tablets and other devices to buy and sell goods, there is a growing demand for flexible ways to buy services to ship these goods. The Postal Service lags behind its primary competitors in offering technology-savvy customers mobile applications and credit services to pay for packages and shipping. But the Postal Service is making some moves towards increased payment flexibility; in fiscal year (FY) 2015 it plans to deploy mobile checkout and in FY 2014 it began offering smart card readers to all post offices. We recently looked at these initiatives. We also researched global trends in payment technologies for shipping and packages. The Postal Service could consider adopting some of these technologies as it works to satisfy eCommerce customers and be more relevant in the digital age.