A few weeks after the stoppage of the sale of the red stamp, its dematerialized version does not convince anyone… or almost.
The physical and historic red stamp, which was particularly useful for sending urgent mail, has not been marketed since 1er January 2023. In its place, we find the red e-letter, which costs 1.49 euros, even more expensive than the paper version that has disappeared, the last price of which was set at 1.43 euros. Before the senators on February 15, 2023, the boss of La Poste, Philippe Wahl, shared a sad observation.
A red e-stamp far, very far from being profitable
Since its launch just a month and a half ago, the electronic red stamp has been used an average of 3,500 times a day. ” It’s not a lot “, acknowledged the CEO of La Poste, who does not hesitate to mention the possibility of removing the service if it does not take off in the coming months.
It must be said that the group is losing money. The latter estimates that the number of daily mailings should be between 5,000 and 10,000, at best, to make the operating costs of the red e-letter profitable, which some equate to paid electronic mail.
For 1.49 euros, you can send documents equivalent to three sheets, ie 4,500 characters, spaces included. Sending can be done from the La Poste website, directly at home, or by going to its post office, to a customer service representative or to an automaton equipped with the service.
Priority letters are no longer popular, regardless of their shape
Once the letter is finalized, it is printed, put in an envelope, then distributed the next day, if you managed to send it before 8 p.m. But this is insufficient to convince consumers. ” People love the red letter, but they don’t write anymore “, justifies Philippe Wahl.
The red stamp could therefore definitely disappear, even if its digital version has become more than symbolic. The number of priority letters, estimated at 4.25 billion in 2008, fell to 380 million in 2021, then to 275 million in 2022, while 7 billion letters are sent each year. At this rate, the number of electronic red letters could barely exceed one million copies in 2023.
Source : France info
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