Postmen could do your shopping too

SHOPPING and smartphones could help breathe new life into France’s postal service.

New technology and increased competition has led to a drop in the number of letters being delivered, prompting bosses at La Poste to come up with ideas to revolutionise the daily rounds of the country’s 90,000 delivery staff.

Among plans announced today is a smartphone app known as Digishoot, which would take images that are certified, geolocated and dated, making them invaluable tools for the insurance industry.

While on their rounds, postal workers could deliver shopping to the homes of older residents, take pictures of car accidents, or water damage at an individual’s home, and send that information directly to insurance companies.

La Poste workers, who are out on the streets six days a week, could also alert local councils to potentially dangerous damage to roads.

The ideas, which have been trialled in Seine-et-Marne, are expected to be adopted formally today in a strategic plan for the company’s development by 2020.