India Post's e-commerce portal aims to boost parcel business network

The ongoing e-commerce business segment resulted in an increase of 13% revenue of India Post in the 2017-18

Leveraging its parcel business network, India Post on Tuesday announced the soft launch of its e-commerce portal.

"IndiaPostOffice has launched an e-commerce portal and I am glad that today I have received the first parcel by this e-commerce portal," Communications Minister Manoj Sinha said in a tweet.

While details of the e-commerce service that will be provided through India Post could not be ascertained, an official source that the Department of Posts has done only soft launch and full-fledged operations of the service will start around or after mid-December.

The Department of Posts has been focussing on the e-commerce sector to increase its revenue receipts. The Department facilitates has collected and remitted more than Rs 27 billion under cash on-delivery till January 2018 since its introduction in December 2013.

The ongoing e-commerce business segment resulted in an increase of 13 per cent revenue of India Post in the 2017-18 and total revenue the department earned under Speed Post till January 2018 was Rs 15.026 billion.