Competitor Watch

Further details have emerged of Hermes UK’s new ‘Postable’ service for small items that fit through a standard letterbox.

The company claims that Postable is one of the lowest priced small parcel services on the UK market, and has the added benefit of ensuring an ‘almost guaranteed first-time delivery rate’ as the recipient does not need to be home to receive the item.

Postable is available for Hermes UK business account customers, who have a dedicated regular collection, send more than 150 items a week, and is fully trackable. Prices start from £1.80 excluding VAT. Items will need to be no more than 23cm wide, 35cm long and 3cm deep, but at least 1cm deep.

It is also available for consumers using the Hermes Send service and is the subject of a marketing campaign called #SendMoreLove, which encourages people to show others they care with a personalised and thoughtful gift. The consumer price is £2.26 including VAT.

Commenting on the launch, Hermes UK CEO Martijn de Lange said: ‘This latest product launch further expands our UK offering to enable more customers to access a premium service that doesn’t cost the earth. Postable is a big step forward for Hermes as we become the consumer’s carrier of choice and we’re pleased that our business customers can now also benefit from this diversity in parcel size and low pricing.’

Royal Mail operates in a highly competitive parcels market, with fast-moving rivals who are looking to take business from us. The ‘letterboxable’ market is our sweet spot and we remain very competitive on both price and quality.