Postal Development: Literature Review Into Adoption Models

The changing postal landscape and rise of digitalization powered by the multiple technology revolutions of the 21st century has prompted Postal Operators across the world to expand their services well beyond the original (traditional) service of merely delivering letters which started more than 100 years ago. However, according to the Postal Development Report of 2018, compiled by the Universal Postal Union (UPU), the majority of Postal Operators are under performing on the Integrated Index for Postal Development ( 2IPD) that measures four dimensions of postal development: relevance, resilience, reach and reliability. The purpose of the study was to review literature on the 2IPD, Industry 4.0, Technology Adoption and Technology Diffusion as key determinants that could lead to postal excellence. The literature points to postal development as a function of postal excellence. Literature further points to adoption and diffusion variables as key determinants for adoption and diffusion of disruptive technologies.