Tuesday, July 31, 2012

More Than You Bargained For



Major electronic retailers have had little in the way of direct competition with the Post Office in the United States so far. The same can’t be said, however, around the rest of the world. Besides the usual collection of shipping supplies and related accessories, Swiss Post offers a wide range of other products and services not normally associated with sending a letter across town.

Browsing through the Swiss Post online store, you’ll find items such as tablet PC’s, cell phones, laptops, software, gaming systems, televisions, jewelry, books, movies, and even camping gear. If a customer didn’t look up in the left hand corner of the screen and notice the Swiss Post logo, they could easily assume they were browsing through the pages of an online electronics store.

Similar to Japan Post Bank, Swiss Post also provides limited financial services to business customers. Swiss Post offers cashless payments with PostFinance cards, investment and cash management services, and deposit accounts.

As a postal organization, Swiss Post knows a thing or two about transportation, but they go a step further in offering their own bus service. Since 1906, PostBus has been offering public transportation services in Switzerland. They currently have more than 3,000 employees and 2,000 buses shuttling passengers around the country with plans to expand to other international markets.

In a time when businesses are looking for every opportunity to remain competitive and expand their sources of revenue, Swiss Post isn’t leaving much to the imagination in expansion opportunities.

Do you think the Postal Service should expand into any of these or other potential markets?

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