PostNL delivers a record number of packages during the pandemic

PostNL delivered a whopping number of 337 million packages to Dutch doorsteps in 2020 - a new record. The Dutch postal service attributed the rise to the closing of many on-site locations during the coronavirus crisis, RTL Nieuws reports.

In total, 25 million more parcels were delivered in 2020 compared to the year prior, averaging a 20 percent increase. The biggest jump occurred during the fourth quarter at 30 percent. The number of letters mailed continued to decrease, falling by 9.6 percent. But the reduction was not higher than in 2019

PostNL expects that some of the growth in package deliveries will vanish this year. “Think of the new laptop and desk chair that you need to work from home”, a spokesperson of PostNL said to RTL Nieuws. And people will order less once stores begin to reopen again.

On the other side, part of the growth the postal company suspects will remain even after the pandemic is over, because the population has become more accustomed to ordering online.