Boom in online trading leads to higher package prices

In contrast to letter post, the number of parcels sent has risen sharply in recent years - and there is no end in sight to this trend. In order to cope with the flood of parcels in the future and continue to offer new services in this area, Swiss Post will have to invest a lot of money. Around 200 million francs are to be invested in a parcel center in Ostermundigen and in the expansion of existing facilities. Other smaller parcel centers will follow.

Swiss Post now wants to pass on some of the costs to business customers and "introduce slight price increases", as Postlogistics boss Dieter Bambauer (pictured below) told the NZZ on Sunday explains. Parcels sent by private customers are not affected by the increase - they only account for a small proportion of sales anyway. Consumers, on the other hand, could benefit from the increase, which, according to estimates by the NZZ on Sunday The impact of this is likely to be in the single-digit percentage range. Namely when online retailers pass on the higher costs to customers.

According to Bambauer, in addition to the investments, the working conditions are also a reason for the increase. The employment conditions for last-mile transportation are "a scandal", the demanding job is underestimated and the skills required are not properly compensated. He is not surprised that tens of thousands of drivers are missing in Germany in view of the wages paid there, says the Postlogistics boss.

The situation is much better at Swiss Post, which has a 30 percent higher minimum wage than its competitors. So far, the company has been able to compensate for this difference by increasing efficiency, but now "the end of the line has been reached", warns Bambauer. However, a wage reduction is out of the question for him, which is why business customers will have to dig deeper into their wallets in future.