18 September 2023
On 7th September 2023, over 100 of the UK’s most forward-thinking businesses attended our first-ever event at the new Royal Mail Midlands Super Hub.
With a topic of ‘innovation’, it was an opportunity to see what the future looks like across a range of sectors and how pioneering changes will continue to shape consumer journeys.
The day included insight-filled presentations from four industry-leading speakers, followed by an up-close tour of our incredible new Super Hub – capable of sorting an extra 850,000 parcels a day.
With a series of fascinating talks and a highly engaged Q&A session, the day was a big success and the first of many hub events to come. Here’s a look at 4 key innovation insights highlighted by our speakers.
1. “AI is data analytics on steroids”
Dan Warren, Director of Advanced Network Research at Samsung R&D, shared his cutting-edge experience on making AI work in business, identifying enablers, risks and opportunities. He kicked off with a striking key insight: “If you want to think about how AI can impact your business, think data analytics on steroids.”
As Dan explained, the role of AI is bigger than simply a data crunching tool. Think of it as something that can find you insights – ideas that deliver added value to your business – you didn’t know were there. Or as a way of finding insights you had a hunch were there, but hadn’t been able to prove – or, sometimes even more crucially, disprove.
2. “Needs engage people more than facts”
Dr. Simon Moore, Chartered Psychologist and Innovationbubble’s CEO, discussed how all industries, from fashion to financial services, require emotional calls-to-action that tap into peoples’ individual needs.
“Needs drive decisions and behaviour. They uncover the important values in a person’s life, so you know exactly what engages and resonates with them."
Dr. Simon Moore, Chartered Psychologist and Innovation bubble's CEO, discussed how all industries, from fashion to financial services, require emotional calls-to-action that tap into peoples’ individual needs.
Simon explained that the many different consumer personas essentially boil down to four groups – Socialists, Adventurers, Individualists and Planners. To show how this translates to real-world consumer behavior, we learnt that 50% of online retail shoppers head straight for a brand’s return policy, only starting to browse products once they feel confident. In other words, ‘Planners’ have a reverse user journey – and once you know this, you can use your data to identify and speak to them in the most effective way.
3. “90 to 95% of customers love reused packaging”
Vicki Flaxton, Sky’s UK and Ireland Supply Chain Director, had a brilliant example of how what’s right for the planet can also be right for the bottom line. Sky found that 70% of customers were requesting the removal of packaging with new TVs, but it was a lot of cardboard to recycle.
The solution was simple: reuse the box for the next customer, and the customer after that. The trial resulted in huge amounts of positive feedback, with a consumer mindset Vicki summarised as this: “Tell me what you’re doing, tell me why you’re doing it and I will completely buy into it.”
Sky changed the artwork, so each recipient can see how many times the packaging has been reused so far, trumpeting the fact 10 grams of carbon is saved every time. But Sky is also making considerable cost savings – making it a win-win situation all round.
4. “We’ve automated the entire Royal Mail network in just 3 years”
Nick Landon, Royal Mail’s Chief Commercial Officer, spoke about our pioneering innovations of the last few years and how they positively impact retail customers.
"For us, connecting with global customers is where Royal Mail have been a massive support,"
"We know and trust the team. Without this peace of mind, I'm not sure how we'd sleep at night!”
With the enormous increase in parcel processing requiring a fundamentally different approach, Royal Mail has transformed its entire ecosystem. As Nick explained, the whole network is now automated, enabling the new Super Hub at Crick to save 4 hours of processing time. In fact, a parcel can go in and out of the hub in just 7 minutes.
This huge time saving means Royal Mail can accept items later for next day delivery, while also using the greenest methods of moving parcels around the UK. With a vast reduction in air freight and significant increase in electric rail, it’s an important part of transforming the business in readiness for the years ahead.
