With Christmas around the corner, Royal Mail has announced a new promotion allowing business and personal customers to send small packages for even less. From 20 October 2014, customers using stamps can send a 2nd Class Small Parcel weighing up to 2kg for just £2.80 – a saving of £1 on the regular tariff. Customers using regular franking or Mailmark franking machines will enjoy the same £1 discount, meaning they pay even less – £2.50 rather than the regular rate of £3.50.

The limited offer – which continues until 18 January 2015 – will be particularly welcomed by ebay sellers and other online retailers handling a steady volume of small package deliveries. The promotional offer will not apply to business customers already using Royal Mail’s contract services and sending over 1,000 packages a year. However, for thousands of small businesses handling lower volumes, taking advantage of Royal Mail’s special offer could still lead to significant savings.

Small Parcels Get Bigger

In addition to reducing the Small Parcel tariff rates, Royal Mail has also increased the size of Small Parcels so that customers can send even more for less money. By taking the largest dimensions from the previous wide and deep Small Parcel sizes and combining them to provide one bigger size, customers will be able to send a far wider range of goods at the reduced rate.

The new Small Parcel dimensions offer customers a maximum length of 45cm, a maximum width of 35cm, a maximum depth of 16cm and a maximum weight of 2kg. Ladies boots, winter coats, desk lamps and coffee machines are just some of the goods that can be comfortably sent as a Small Parcel using Royal Mail’s trusted and reliable service.

Deliveries Confirmed – at Lower Prices

Customers requiring additional guarantees on their deliveries will also be able to take advantage of the new savings. For example, those using the company’s UK Confirmed service – which offers a signature on delivery for additional assurance – will pay just £3.90 for stamps and £3.60 for franking when they send a Small Parcel weighing up to 2kg. Once again, this represents a saving of £1 on the regular tariff charges.

While the above discounts only apply to Royal Mail’s UK deliveries, those seeking to send small parcels to customers, friends and family overseas using stamps can also make savings. Small Parcels weighing up to 60g can be sent to Europe and worldwide for less than regular stamp tariffs during the same promotional period.

With its Small Parcel promotional rates, Royal Mail is hoping to boost business in the run-up to Christmas. Thanks to the rise of the UK e-retail sector and growing confidence by the general public in shopping online, parcel revenues now accounts for more than half of the company’s total business revenue. British shoppers are expected to spend more than £100 billion online this year, with December predicted to be the biggest month by far. Along with the growing UK parcels market, competition for delivery services is also increasing due to challenges by online retailers Amazon and others.