India Post will open an e-commerce hub here in December-January, which will enable the Department tap more opportunities in the online business segment.
Sudhir Gopal Jakhere, Senior Superintendent of Post Offices, Coimbatore, told The Hindu on Thursday that the 7,000 sq.ft. facility coming up at Kavumdampalayam would enable the department tap the opportunities in e-commerce business. It would be operational 24x7. “We want to tap the e-commerce business. The hub in Coimbatore will be for Tamil Nadu,” he said.
The 5.5 acre site of the department at Kavundampalayam, which already houses a parcel hub, will also have a regional office. The department has mooted a proposal to have a warehouse too with a total area of 10,000 sq.ft. There is a demand for a warehouse from industries such as pumpset manufacturers and some of the e-commerce players. If the warehouse comes up, hopefully by next year end, it will help the small and medium-businesses in Coimbatore tap the e-commerce market, he said. “We will provide the entire solution, right from pick up of parcels, to our customers. If the volumes go up, the entire handling of products can be automised.”
When the warehouse comes up, there will be dedicated space for industrial goods, Mr. Jakhere said.
India Post books nearly one lakh parcels a month for delivery under its various parcel services in Coimbatore. While the Express Parcel service will be closed from November 18, the thrust will be on merchandise and other parcel services. Another area of potential in Coimbatore is international parcel service. The festival season this year saw the department earn ₹1 lakh a day only from the international parcels booked at its counter at the head post office on Good Shed Road. There is a plan to open another dedicated counter at R.S. Puram for international parcel booking. “I plan to talk at colleges and institutions to create awareness about this service among students,” he said. There are several students at educational institutions abroad and parents send parcels to them regularly. This year, the bookings were to countries such as Russia, Poland, and China.
India Post has launched an e-commerce portal and it will encourage entrepreneurs here, mainly self help group members and producers of handlooms and traditional items, to market their products on it. “I expect at least 20 % growth in parcel business in Coimbatore in the next one year with the efforts taken by the Department,” Mr. Jakhere said.
