Latvijas Pasts (the Latvian Postal Service) is staying on top of the avalanche of season's greetings and gifts with the help of modernisation

Even though the digital solutions of today have significantly simplified communicating with loved ones living farther away in Latvia or abroad, there is nothing like the warmth of a hand-written greeting card or the joy brought by a thoughtful gift. During the happiest holidays of the year, the national postal service ensures the cross-border flow of thousands of letters and parcels. As the holiday season draws closer, every year Latvijas Pasts sees a significant increase in the number of postal consignments, and for the past couple of years it has been staying on top of this avalanche of letters and parcels with the help of updated delivery solutions, including the increasingly popular parcel lockers. 

According to the statistics compiled by Latvijas Pasts, the most popular destinations for parcels both during the holidays and throughout the rest of the year are the countries where there is a large Latvian diaspora, such as the United States and the United Kingdom. The flow of parcels to Canada, Japan, Norway, and Switzerland is also increasing. In turn, most parcels coming into Latvia originate from China, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and Germany, and often contain goods purchased from the leading e-commerce platforms. 

According to the company, during the holidays most parcels sent are gifts: clothing, toys, sweets and various symbolic souvenirs. These parcels help create the holiday spirit, overcoming any geographical distance and strengthening ties between family and friends throughout the world. 

The Christmas season is just one challenge that modern technology has allowed the company to deal with successfully. To fulfil the changing needs of customers and compete with other logistics companies, in recent years Latvijas Pasts has made significant investments into modernisation. The company describes 2024 as a period of transformation, during which the number of parcel lockers was nearly doubled from 220 to 420. This has allowed Latvijas Pasts to become a leader in terms of the size of its parcel locker network in Latvia, ensuring their accessibility in cities and rural areas.  

Parcel lockers are a modern delivery solution making it easy to send and receive parcels at a time and place that is convenient. The company estimates that during this holiday season, the number of packages sent by parcel locker could increase by up to 50% in comparison to a regular month. This indicates a certain shift in consumer behaviour with more and more people opting for quick and easy delivery solutions. 

An important step in the development of the company has also been improving the functionality of their outdoor parcel machines, which can now be used not only to send packages but also letters. In addition, Latvijas Pasts has established a strategic partnership with the Lithuanian postal service Lietuvos paštas, joining up their parcel locker networks to provide around 1000 delivery points throughout the Baltic region. This solution provides customers with even broader opportunities and reinforces the position of Latvijas Pasts on the international market. 

The company’s development plans include the introduction of increasingly more digital solutions and improving customer experiences. The concept of sustainable post offices is being elaborated with a special focus on accessibility. The first such post office will be opened in early 2025. 

In addition, Latvijas Pasts is continuing to carefully select locations for post offices, e.g., by integrating them into shopping malls or locations offering both local government and postal services. Such a solution has already been introduced in Brocēni, where the post office is located at the Tourism Information Centre. 

Latvijas Pasts emphasises that they are focused on moving forward to become a modern service provider adapted to the needs of its customers. The work done this year allows the company to look ahead to the coming year with confidence; it is planning to introduce new digital solutions, publish an improved online service environment and expand its strategic partnerships to provide ever better customer experience and reinforce its market position.