Royal Mail in stamp barcode pilot

Royal Mail has become the first postal operator in the world to add a barcode to its stamps. In a pilot, 20 million 2nd Class stamps are to have unique barcodes that the firm says will pave the way toward innovative new customer services and benefits.

The barcoded stamps will initially be available from Viking Direct and Royal Mail online channels. They will match the stamp colour and sit alongside the main body of the stamp with a simulated perforation line. They will be sold online from the 23rd March.

Nick Landon, Chief Commercial Officer at Royal Mail, said: “This initiative will see Royal Mail become one of the first postal authorities in the world to add unique barcodes to stamps. By doing this, we are looking to transform the humble stamp so that we can offer our customers even more convenient, new services in the future. Royal Mail has a long and proud history for creating innovative and intuitive postal solutions. This goes all the way back to the Penny Black which established the principle of the one-price-goes-anywhere universal service – to the recent launch of Parcel Collect – where we pick up our customers’ parcels from the doorstep. The pilot of barcoded stamps reflects our commitment to constantly evolve our products and services in line with the ever-changing needs of our customers.”

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