Frankfurt (AFP)
The German Post announced on Tuesday the sale for the first time of stamps equipped with barcodes allowing online tracking of all letters sent.
The stamp dubbed "digital evolution" with a "datamatrix" code similar to a QR code next to the motif, will be available from Thursday and will let the customer know when a correspondence has arrived at the destination sorting center.
For a more detailed follow-up until the delivery to the recipient, the registered letter will remain necessary.
The price of this stamp will not be higher than that of traditional stamps, namely 80 euro cents for a single shipment.
A special ink protects the barcode against degradation when the stamp is wet for sticking.
The code on this "new generation of stamps" should also help combat the counterfeiting and reuse of stamps, "a problem on the rise at Deutsche Post and elsewhere," the group said in a statement.
Scanning the code will also give you access to more information about the stamp motif.
"Stamped stamps will remain attractive collectibles, which now reflect the link between stamps and the digital age," said Tobias Meyer, Germany director of Deutsche Post DHL.
Other series will go on sale this year and all stamps will be equipped with a code from 2022.
Thanks to electronic tracking, the company also intends to detect possible problems in the routing of mail more quickly.
Deutsche Post DHL is facing, like its European counterparts and competitors, a continuous decline in mail volumes in parallel with an increase in parcels.
Parcel activity in Germany grew 23% in the fourth quarter of 2020 compared to the same quarter of the previous year, while letter activity fell by 7%.
The strong growth in e-commerce at the end of the year helped bring the group's operating income to a record level of 4.8 billion euros in 2020.
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