Canada Post. (CHAT News Today)

By David Opinko

2020 a “record-setting year” for Canada post in more ways than one

Jan 18, 2021 | 1:41 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – A move to online shopping means Canada’s national postal service is reporting record numbers.

In 2017, Canada Post delivered one million parcels on 67 different days.

In 2020, however, they hit that benchmark before the end of April. They did, in fact, deliver at least one million parcels in 181 consecutive delivery days.

For the two weeks leading up to Christmas Eve, just under 20-million packages were delivered across the country. A new single-day record was set on December 21 with 2.4-million parcels.

It is not all good news, however, as Canada Post reported a loss of $265-million in the third quarter of last year.

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Looking back on the year that was, Canada Post says they were left with three key takeaways:

1. Small and medium-sized businesses quickly transitioned to online sales.

The number of parcels sent by small businesses through Canada Post grew by more than 50 per cent in 2020 and the number of sign-ups for the Solutions for Small Businesses program increased by 70 per cent.

2. Canadians shopped online way more.

Of course, you can’t have one without the other. If businesses are sending out more packages, then shoppers used their online services at an increasing rate.

Based on industry analysis and internal numbers, Canada Post believes Canadian retail e-commerce sales grew by 54 per cent in 2020 to $62.9-billion.

3. Convenient, on-time, dependable, and secure deliveries are more important than ever

In October, Canada Post polled 2,500 online shoppers. They found that three quarters would shop more often with retailers who use a delivery company that ensures their packages are delivered securely.

About two-thirds of shoppers are more likely to support retailers who provide flexible delivery options, especially convenient and secure pick-up locations for parcels that cannot be delivered.

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