ENG-2010 — Page 443

Communications, the Media and Information Technology 373

Mail Volumes

In 2010, a total of 1.29 billion postal items was handled a decrease of 1.7 per cent compared with 2009. Local postal items accounted for 84 per cent of the volume, the remainder being overseas mail destined mainly for the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, the Mainland and Japan.

Speedpost

The 'Economy Express' service, which provides a cost-effective and speedy means of sending packages, was extended from Guangdong to Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Chongqing and Hubei.

In December 2010, Hongkong Post extended its 'Postage Paid by Addressee' service to Macao, whereby customers can have the postage paid by the recipient of Speedpost items.

Document Exchange Service

In September 2010, Hongkong Post introduced a new document exchange service for companies with branch offices in Hong Kong. The service includes daily pick-up and delivery of documents at scheduled times.

Promoting Philately

Eleven sets of special stamps and stamp sheetlets were issued in 2010 bearing themes such as 'Hong Kong's participation in Expo 2010 Shanghai China', 'Congratulations to Professor Charles K. Kao on his award of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics' and 'Centenary of Railway Service in Hong Kong'.

Supporting Direct Marketing Activities

Hongkong Post continued to enhance the online platform of its Hongkong Post Circular Service (HKPCS). To improve on the existing opt-out arrangement for HKPCS, a new sticker scheme was introduced in September.

Through increased collaboration with China Post, Hongkong Post extended the cross-border direct mail service to nine more major Mainland cities.

Mail Distribution and Logistics

A co-operative arrangement with China Post Logistics Company Limited was expanded to provide corporate customers with a full range of services covering warehousing, inventory management, fulfillment, local delivery and customer service support.

Supporting the New Era of E-Commerce

Hongkong Post launched new services 'e-Express' and 'EC-Ship' and co-operated with major online trading platforms to provide a comprehensive, convenient and affordable e-commerce solution.

Hongkong Post e-Club was established for disseminating the latest postal service information to, and exchanging views on matters of mutual concern with, e-commerce merchants.