The Indian Ministry of Communications issued a statement that the Department of Posts, as part of its ongoing initiatives to create an export ecosystem for e-commerce in the country, entered into an agreement with Bigfoot Retail Solution Pvt. Ltd. (Shiprocket), one of the leading e-commerce enablement platforms. The collaboration aims to enhance e-commerce exports by leveraging India Post’s extensive presence and shipping solutions.
The agreement was signed on 5th September in New Delhi in the presence of Director General Postal Services Shri Alok Sharma, Chief Postmaster General Delhi Ms. Manju Kumar and Shiprocket CEO Shri Saahil Goel, marking a significant milestone in India’s cross border e-commerce landscape.
Speaking at the event, Shri Alok Sharma said, “India Post has taken a series of steps in the recent past like expansion of Foreign Post Offices, introduction of Postal Bill of Export to enable commercial exports through post offices, launch of a competitive International Tracked Packet Service and setting up of Dak Ghar Niryat Kendras (DNKs) across the country.
“The online order processing, export documentation, compliances and Customs clearance has been made easy through electronic Postal Bill of Export (PBE) which can be filed on DNK portal. Integration of DNK portal with different agencies and e-marketplace will benefit the artisans, craftsmen and SME sellers from the remotest areas of the country. As on date more than 600 DNKs have been made operational.”
This agreement will lead to technical integration between Dak Ghar Niryat Kendra and Shiprocket and enable India based sellers, using Shiprocket, to directly generate e-PBE and shipping labels from Shiprocket platform itself. The exporters can avail packaging, label printing, pickup facility and induct their shipments to the nearest DNK in any part of the country.
During the event, Ms. Manju Kumar, highlighted that “e-commerce has emerged as a powerful driver of economic growth and innovation and this collaboration aims to achieve the same by harnessing the extensive Post Office infrastructure and enable more small businesses on Shiprocket platform to participate as well.”
Shri Saahil Goel added, “We are thrilled to extend our strategic partnership with India Post, a collaboration that is set to reshape the landscape of e-commerce and global trade for MSMEs. Together with India Post, we are committed to provide faster, more secure, and more efficient global parcel services to over 200 destinations worldwide. We aim to not only expand our reach but also reduce first-mile costs and delivery time through DNKs.”
This partnership holds immense promise as the India Government works together with logistics aggregators and e-market place leaders to promote e-commerce exports in a digital age.