When it comes to air cargo commodities, the distinction between mail and e-commerce is becoming ever more blurred. Two common denominators set them apart from general cargo: they increasingly consist of small, individual parcels and their processes fall out of the air cargo handling norm. ECS Group’s Mail & More offers a scalable solution to all airlines looking to place greater emphasis on this rapidly growing product niche.
e-commerce is booming. In less than a decade, the number of parcels has more than tripled and cross-border e-commerce has doubled. Over 131 billion parcels were carried across the world in 2020, and it is predicted that, in just 2 years from now, this number will have grown to 266 billion. 80% of cross-border e-commerce travels by air, and the commodity already constitutes around 20% of all air freight carried. e-commerce is therefore not simply an increasingly attractive base-load opportunity, but a key component for success, driving airlines to adapt to today’s changing logistics market. Major airlines have begun initiating change, allocating warehouse and staff resources, and restructuring or partnering with 3PLs so as to provide optimum parcel handling. Many opt for ECS Group’s Mail & More Ability to cover the commercial side of operations.
“Mail & More completely removes the challenges and complexity that mail or e-commerce bring to an airline’s operational processes. We act as an affiliated, specialised team to our airline customers, and cover the entire process from commercial responsibilities to capacity sourcing and allocation, all the way through to digital support,” Jonathan Fredericks, Mail & More managing director, said. “To date, we are the only GSSA to offer this service as a comprehensive package, developed based on our long-standing experience in airmail. Mail & More is not just unique, but also constantly being adapted to ensure that our customers always receive the best service without having to deal with any of the complexity.”
Mail & More has skyrocketed in popularity, demonstrating the urgent need for ECS Group’s parcel-focused solution. In 2022, 480 tonnes of e-commerce and mail were transported through Mail & More. In 2023, this increased to 900 tonnes.
“With Mail & More, we build a bridge between two very parallel and often separate transport systems: our customers are airlines and e-commerce or postal operators. We offer a fully functional and highly experienced interface on two essential levels: Commercial and System. Commercial ensures that parcel flows are matched with regular, available cargo capacity. System and consultancy refer to set-up procedures that enable airlines and postal operators to continue using their documentation processes, regardless of whether they use CNs or AWBs. Our plug & play Mail EDI system, at no extra cost, is the digital interface translating and linking the two digital data channels,” said Adrien Thominet, executive chairman of ECS Group.
Mail & More brings postal operators and e-commerce consolidators around the globe together with the many airlines in the ECS Group portfolio, swiftly matching demand with capacity. ECS Group’s wide-reaching international network and concentrated focus on parcels form a sound basis on which to commercially develop the airline’s market reach. The inhouse digital support solution, Mail EDI, increases operational efficiency, allows end-to-end transparency and tracking, and ensures quality compliance in line with airlines’ and postal operators’ processes, and UPU regulations. It also allows reporting, performance steering, tracking and tracing, accounting, and billing.
