Indian courier industry was initially limited to all the four metros. The reason was the airport connection these metros were having. The industry had its start some 15-20 years ago. But with changing economy and technical advancement seen on a daily basis, the industry has extended fast to several metropolis, township and even rural areas. Train, bus, motorcycle and even bicycle have helped the industry in this regard. Industry has traveled a long way and now it has become a very common sight to see an office of Courier Company in the nearby locality.
A courier company in India has its primary virtue is its efficiency. The more efficient it is, better the chances of survival. Considering this is a manpower intensive industry, so the need for highly skilled and trained personnel is of prime importance. The industry is booming and market is brutally competitive so all the companies have to keep improving to sustain in the business. The advancement of technology has also made things slight easier.
The Indian courier market is Rs 7,000-crore courier industry and it is growing at 25% a year. Still, most of the business is in unorganized sector. Few major players dominate the market .Earlier, it used to be a fragmented market but, now the process of consolidation can be seen.
Mainstream companies provide a variety of services. Courier services in India can be segregated in few categories. Basically, it begins with intra-city services which are about speedy delivery of mails and goods within the city. Broadening the services, inter-city services are covered. Normally this is termed as surface cargo services where short distance and bulk loads are handled. Surface mode service is performed through two ways: firstly, on road (by bus or vehicle) and secondly on track (by train) services. The products are normally delivered through door to door.
Then, air express and air cargo services to send parcel to India. The air express service is usually a day faster compared to air cargo. Air express is used by the people who need to send their significant documents across India or the world in urgency; whereas air cargo includes weighty loads and security objects. They provide both national and international services. Courier companies work in tandem with the foremost airlines and in sync with their well tuned, well associated set of connections the timely deliverance and protected service is guaranteed. Few other variant of services could be express services, ocean freight, industry solutions, logistic solutions, shipping tools. These particular services are individual of a company’s area of specialization and diversification.
In general courier service rates in India are subject to weight of the mail and goods. To take an example a parcel weighing 500 grams to be sent within the intra zone costs almost 40 Rs whereas if it is intended for inter zone it will be charged around 80 Rs. There is a high possibility of the rates being increased substantially. The central ministry is expected to introduce a bill in parliament, related to postal charges. Few rates modification is in the pipeline. The dust is supposed to settle down in coming time.