Tag: An Post

An Post’s ‘UK Direct’ opens door to Britain for Irish SMEs

An Post has announced UK Direct, a groundbreaking new end-to-end parcel delivery and returns service which overcomes post-Brexit barriers to trade and unlocks Britain’s 69 million-strong consumer market for Irish SMEs.
UK Direct gives Irish SMEs a seamless route to the UK market through:
  • Innovative technology which bridges the trade gap and accelerates growth by overcoming the obstacles to sending parcels from Ireland to the UK post-Brexit
  • Pre-cleared UK customs and three-day e-commerce parcel delivery to the UK via Dublin Port
  • End-to-end tracking and an integrated customer-friendly returns service
As Irish small and medium-sized businesses continue to face complexity, cost and considerable delays when shipping to Britain, UK Direct provides seamless innovation to firms wishing to sell, ship and scale up into Britain’s 69 million-strong consumer market. Firms simply register to integrate with the new UK Direct service, a full turn-key solution including advance customs payments, 3-day delivery with end-to-end tracking.
Between customs charges and the exacting compliance demands of Brexit, selling into Britain has become increasingly difficult for Irish small and medium-sized firms. Despite all the red tape, however, Enterprise Ireland1 forecasts that 97% of Irish companies want to expand into new markets over the next 12 months and in their recent pilot programme for potential new exporters, circa two-thirds of participants prioritised the UK as their target market.
An Post worked closely with Irish SMEs to understand the full extent of their difficulties in trying to expand their trade with the UK. In designing the new service, and partnering with Royal Mail, An Post is providing SMEs with a bridge directly into the vast UK market, a seamless shopping experience for UK consumers, and a simple, secure system for returns and refunds.
Launching UK Direct, An Post CEO David McRedmond said:
“UK-Irish trade is central to Ireland’s economy. This new UK Direct solution reopens that market for businesses facing the challenges posed by Brexit. Ireland’s 400,000+ SMEs are the backbone of this economy, and in building new infrastructure for Ireland, An Post is opening doors to new trade with the UK through a full end-to-end service from one of Ireland’s most trusted companies.
UK Direct removes barriers to trade, providing Irish SMEs with access to over 69 million new customers. Instead of being tied up in the complexities of customs fees or other red tape, they can focus on huge growth opportunities and ensuring a top-quality retail experience for their new UK customers”, David added.
 
Welcoming the announcement, Kara Owen, British Ambassador to Ireland, added:
“I’m delighted to see this new service come to life through such strong cooperation between An Post and Royal Mail. Businesses on both sides of the Irish Sea want simple, dependable ways to reach their customers, and UK Direct delivers exactly that. What matters most is giving firms the confidence to trade and grow — and that comes from practical, workable solutions like this. By making everyday commerce easier, we are strengthening our 2€ billion a week trading relationship, the economic ties that sustain the UK–Ireland relationship and support to communities and customers across both our countries.”
 
Fiona Fitzsimons, CEO of contemporary Irish jewellery company, Betty and Biddy, said
“This UK Direct service is a total game-changer for us. We get enquiries from the UK all the time, but right now, trying to navigate initial customs charges and reliable delivery in the UK, never mind customer returns, is a total nightmare. An Post currently handles our national parcels, and this new UK service will help take our business to the next level, something we’ve been working towards for a long time.”
Simon McKeever, CEO of the Irish Exporters Association, commented:
“The Irish Exporters Association supports Irish businesses to expand their market into the UK. Today’s announcement marks a positive shift in how Ireland can do business with our nearest neighbour. There’s a massive market ready and waiting for quality Irish products, and it’s now within the grasp of Irish SMEs, thanks to this practical and highly innovative UK Direct service.”
As Ireland’s leading logistics expert, An Post’s new UK Direct solution is set to accelerate trade from Ireland into the UK, fuelling critical economic growth.
To learn more about UK Direct, businesses can email:  ukdirect@anpost.ie
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No An Post is not having a warehouse sale on Facebook

With the festive season well and truly underway this is the time when scammers are most at work and low and behold the scams are rife on Facebook and one of these scams is an An Post scam giving away pallets of goods for little or nothing this is however a thing in other countries but not here. The pages claim they are goods for sale that have not been delivered which is untrue.

We have covered many scams here in detail and what to watch out for before which you can find here not just what you read in the news or hear on the radio going into detail with videos so do check them out.

The latest scam however is catching people with users posting their so called bargain buys from An Post and again all part of the plan, one look at their Facebook pages says it all and for the offending page same thing little or no followers.

It does not matter what is written in their about section on the Facebook page as this can be easily doctored like any other page.  The thing is here i the page is also a sponsored page and of course Facebook have done nothing about it despite it being reported and of course to An Post..

Stop Think and Check with any addon social media folks

 

 

An Post Unveils Ireland’s First Crypto Stamp

An Post, Ireland’s national postal service, has today launched /Imagine Ireland, Ireland’s first-ever crypto stamp issue, created using artist-led, generative-AI designed technology. Celebrating the rich heritage of Irish life, the latest collection of two stamps from An Post offer a glimpse into a possible future shaped by technology and innovation. /Imagine Ireland is a limited-edition collection, with only 10,000 crypto stamps available to purchase.
 
Crypto stamps are a combination of a physical stamp and its digital twin image, to which a non-fungible token (NFT) is clearly assigned on Polygon, a public and environmentally friendly Blockchain frequently used for NFTs.
Partnering with Ciphers.me, a highly secure platform that allows users to safely buy, claim, collect and trade valuable blockchain and NFT collectables, An Post joins its colleague Posts in Germany, France, Switzerland and Portugal in charting the impact of artificial intelligence and crypto on the postal industry.
Using the PIN code unique to each booklet purchased, An Post’s crypto stamp can be accessed on Ciphers.me and the NFT then added to the customer’s digital MetaMask wallet or alternative wallet of their choosing. For unique ownership of each NFT, the data is stored in the Blockchain so that it can be included in each customer’s digital wallet. Customers must create both a wallet and an NFT if they wish to trade their crypto stamp.
Commenting on An Post’s first-ever crypto stamp collection, Des Morley, Chief Digital and Technology Officer, An Post says,
“At An Post, we are applying digital innovation across our business – in this case, to one of our most renowned products, stamps. In a spirit of co-operation with International posts we are charting the impact of AI and Crypto by continuing to engage with and learn from emerging technologies.
 
While we are treating this as a test, this crypto stamp issue is combined with generative art – two technologies that are constantly transforming our world and how we operate in it. /Imagine Ireland is our first stamp issue featuring these combined technologies, which we are very excited about and we hope to see more of in the future.”
As is the case with all stamp issues, An Post completed a rigorous design process, working with the artist to craft this unique collection of generative art stamps. Testing the technological capabilities of AI, the stamps issue is designed by Designer and AI Artist, Kasia Oźmin using Mid-journey, an AI program that generates images from written prompts. This surreal collection is the latest addition to a long line of innovations as An Post continues to push stamp design boundaries with artists, mostly based in Ireland.
Speaking on the stamp design, Designer and AI Artist, Kasia Oźmin says, “AI’s place in art should be as an aid, not a replacement for human creativity. It amplifies what we, as artists, can achieve, allowing us to explore new realms of imagination and expression that were previously inaccessible.
The concept behind these images was intentionally designed for those who may be unfamiliar with AI-generated imagery. At first glance, the visuals evoke recognisable Irish landscapes, but upon closer inspection, they invite questions. As part of my exploration of imaginary habitats, I envisioned a place where the cutting-edge capabilities of AI blend seamlessly with the familiar Irish landscape. This imagined world reflects a lifestyle that honours both heritage and the possibilities of the unimaginable.”
 
Envisioning new possibilities for urban and rural settlements, the ‘N’ national rate stamp, which covers postage across the island of Ireland, challenges the perceptions of housing, providing a futuristic solution, while the ‘W’ international rate stamp for posting worldwide explores the future of transport in Ireland.
 
As a limited-edition collection, booklets featuring the crypto stamp are available to purchase online at anpost.com/cryptostamp. Each crypto stamp is linked to a unique Non-Fungible Token (NFT) on the Blockchain and associated with a unique PIN code. Each booklet also contains a traditional print stamp.
Collectors and enthusiasts can claim their digital stamps by scratching the PIN code from the booklet and linking their accounts with Ciphers.me. On the platform, collectors can store the crypto stamps in digital wallets, where the stamps can be minted, saved, and traded online until the end of 2027.
Traditional stamp sheets are available to purchase online at anpost.com/shop or in-store at selected post offices from 26th September 2024.

An Post Mobile Extends Market-Leading €12.99 Prepay Plan until October 31st

An Post Mobile, the value prepaid mobile network from An Post,  has extended its market-leading €12.99 mobile plan until October 31st. Plan benefits include 50GB of data, 500 any network minutes, 25GB EU and UK Roaming data and 300 minutes and texts to An Post customers all ‘locked in’ for life.  An Post Mobile operates on one of Ireland’s most reliable mobile networks, with unrivalled 99% 4G coverage nationwide ensuring An Post Mobile customers are always connected.
According to Amanda Campbell, Director at An Post Mobile “The average Irish mobile phone user consumes 13.6GB of data per month and our prepay plan has been designed with peoples actual usage in mind, offering 50GB of data which is three and a half times the average monthly usage. Inflation might be slowing but costs are still extremely high across the board for Irish consumers – this plan gives them everything they need and more at prices they can afford. The plan is easy to set up, with no set-up fees, bills, or contracts meaning our customers are always in control, with peace of mind that the €12.99 price is locked for life with no hidden fees or increases.”
‘Locked for Life’ Benefits
Includes 50GB of data and 500 any-network minutes in addition to 300 minutes and 300 texts with other An Post Mobile customers as well as 25GB EU & UK roaming data and 300 minutes. Customers can watch video content, listen to music, keep connected in their group chats, make Zoom calls, and browse Instagram and Twitter – all for €12.99 per month, for life.
Ease of topping-up
An Post mobile also makes topping hassle-free with their ‘Auto Top-Up’ option allowing customers to pick a day in the month when their account can be automatically topped up. This can be cancelled or changed anytime, and An Post is offering €10 free credit to customers on their first top-up.
Roaming Benefits
The plan ensures that customers can stay connected to loved ones overseas or when travelling abroad with 25GB EU and UK Roaming data and 300 minutes included in the deal. If required customers can also easily add on international minutes to their plan with 100 international minutes available for €5, or 400 international minutes for €15.
Customer Care
An Post Mobile customers have quick and easy access to An Post’s Dublin-based Customer Care experts by phone, email or Web Chat should they need help with their plan or handset with support and advice also available through the extensive Post Office network.
The €12.99 sim-only preplan is available as a limited offer until October 31st online or at any of the 900+ post offices across the country, open 6 days a week.
Further information about this plan and other An Post mobile plans on AnPost.com/Mobile.
An Post also offer a suite of mobile handsets which can be ordered in all post offices nationwide.