The Asian market has been a target for may of the major players in courier and express services. A market with local providers having a strong foothold with extensive established shipping networks in place, advancement in technology, and increase in service quality.

China Post remains the dominant force and monopoly in the Chinese postal market. However, in the area of courier services and express parcels there is some competition with the major international players such as Federal Express, United Parcel Service and DHL etc.

In South Korea a weak domestic economy has been compensated by an increase in internet shopping and home shopping network which helped the industry to grow. In addition, local brands such as Samsung and LG, are becoming more popular globally, which increased the export from Korea for products such as household goods, monitors, and cellular phones. The courier market for South Korea was worth KRW1, 411.5 billion having grown by 17.3%. The courier market had grown by 83.5% over the 5 year review period.

In Japan, on April 1, 2003, the Postal Services Agency in Japan was relaunched as a public company, Japan Post. Japan Post’s competitive advantage lies in its extensive nationwide post office network. The incorporation of Japan Post is expected to introduce intense competition to the parcel delivery market. The Japanese market for couriers increased by nearly 8% to reach a value of around ¥4 trillion (US$33 billion). The couriers market in Japan has grown by 46% over the 5 year review period.

*Information sources: Euromonitor International, Access Asia