Royal Mail, China Post launch UK-China package tracking service 

Today, the U.K.’s Royal Mail, in collaboration with China Post, announced its launch of a “Tracked and Signed” service to China.  

The Tracked and Signed service enables customers to track their package throughout shipment from the U.K. to China, via Royal Mail. Royal Mail said it aims to deliver to China within five to seven days, by leveraging the broad distribution channels of China’s official post services across the country. The service also requires signature upon delivery, which combined with the shipping transparency, improves package tracking capability.  

The service is meant to support the trade of U.K. products to China via e-commerce. According to Royal Mail’s Delivery Matters research, Chinese online shoppers appreciate high-quality British products and brands. The study also found that 90% of the Chinese shoppers would make more online purchases from these companies if there were a wider range of delivery and tracking options. 

“I am very pleased to hear that Royal Mail is launching this service to China. Demand for U.K. goods and services in China is growing,” HM trade commissioner to China Richard Burn said. 

Royal Mail also already has an established presence in China’s digital marketplace on Alibaba’s popular online marketplace, Tmall. With this existing presence and new service, Royal Mail aims to leverage help U.K. retailers enter and grow their e-commerce business in China. 

This new service marks another step in Royal Mail’s efforts to strengthen its network and customer service as announced in its five-year strategic plan last month. Beyond its work in China, Royal Mail also expects to support the see a jump in U.K. SME retailer sales to the U.S. and Europe it forecasted for this summer.