In the 2000s, the number of letters has fallen by over 60% because of digital communications, and the coronavirus pandemic is accelerating the decline of printed mail even further. The volume of letter mail delivered by Posti decreased by a record-breaking 24% in April–June, compared to the corresponding period in 2019.
“Despite the summer seeing much improvement from the spring in many service sectors, the change does not translate into an increased volume of printed mail. The effect of the coronavirus pandemic is particularly evident in the volume of mail sent by companies as well as the authorities and organizations, which accounts for approximately 96% of all the letter items delivered by Posti. The switch to digital has occurred,” says Production Director Sami Reponen.
For the time being, the exceptional arrangement will continue until the end of October – this requires no action on the part of senders or mail recipients
On June 1, the Postal Services introduced an exceptional arrangement where Friday deliveries are primarily delivered on Thursdays. For now, this exceptional arrangement will continue until the end of October because there is not enough mail for Friday deliveries. The earlier deliveries are made possible by the fact that the lower volume of mail can be sorted faster.
The exceptional arrangement does not require any action on the part of senders or mail recipients; the service will continue according to the previously agreed model.
The exceptional arrangement does not apply to either the early delivery of newspapers or the parcel deliveries. The newspapers delivered on Fridays in the basic daytime delivery will continue to be delivered on Fridays. Posti's service points and customer service will also be open normally on Fridays without any changes.
Posti delivers newspapers seven days a week and parcels six days a week to pickup points. Other mail, such as letters, magazines and advertisements, will be delivered five days a week, but not all products will be delivered on all weekdays because a service schedule may have been agreed with the sending customer for different products. For example, one product may be scheduled for delivery on a certain weekday, while other products have a delivery window of several days.
