Past Delivery and Shipping Products

Past Delivery

In the age of same-day speed and premium courier services, it seems easy to conceive that we can receive parcels directly to our homes and do not consider package delivery history. Delivery, mail, and courier services date back to the Persian Empire in the 6th century BC, when King Cyrus the Great formalized a postal service. Later, in Rome, a service called cursus publicus (or “public way”) was created by Emperor Augustus to carry messages, official documents, and taxes.

In the United States, the postal service was formed in 1775 by the Second Continental Congress. It is clear from history that any great civilization, if it stretched any geographical distance more than a day’s walk, needed a system to send the message from one point to another. Mailing was a public service or a state service. In the 19th century, groups such as Wells Fargo in the United States formed Pony Express – a fast courier and parcel delivery service that reduced travel time from the Pacific to the Atlantic coast in 10 days. They managed to do this by establishing a network of stations, each with fresh horses, allowing the packets to travel on without having to wait for a horse to rest.

In general, these delivery systems carried goods, money and documents and were not part of the retail market. Shortly after the Pony Express and the rise of railroads in the United States, Sears, Roebuck & Company was formed. They published catalogs of goods with clearly listed prices that people could order. Once an order was created, the goods were to be delivered. Mail order led to the rise of the “department store” concept in the mid-19th century. So many farmers living in rural areas used the mail order system, which was able to offer better prices than universal or general stores could offer.

There are some interesting parallels between the growth of mail order shopping and the growth of online shopping. Besides some small technological changes, we are almost as similar as our ancestors. It was much cheaper and more convenient to order from a catalog. Now, instead of a catalog, we use a website and, instead of traveling by train, the desired package probably travels by plane.

In the 1950’s, door-to-door sales peaked. Vendors traveled from city to city, knocking on people’s doors and selling them goods. This added a human element to catalog sales. Mail orders have fallen sharply as cars have developed. The retail platform was able to offer good prices, and the possibility for someone to order and pick up their purchases on the same day dealt a significant blow to the mail order business.

Now, we turn in the other direction. Again, people are convinced of the low prices and convenience. The order through the classic postal system suffered due to the delay of the post office, and the retail stores were able to take advantage of this. Now, companies like Amazon solve the convenience of mail order, they are able to dominate and allow people to get goods even more efficiently, more conveniently and more affordable than any retail store can offer. As we move into the holiday season, with 55% of the population planning to shop online, it is clear that we have returned to the old paradigm of retail.

History has been written, we have to go back to the present, thinking about ours and the future of these delivery services. Now that we know how it all started, we can write the future with Carro, the innovative platform that will change the course of history through the benefits to customers and suppliers registered in the community. One thing is for sure – people will always communicate through the packages sent and received.

Let’s write the future together.

Only using the Carro application can we opt for various functions and benefits that will not only organize the future, but will also take care of it.

Be the change! Start by using Carro whenever you want to send or receive the package you need!