From 28 July 2025, Royal Mail is introducing new delivery arrangements for letters and will operate under a revised Universal Service Obligation (USO) following Ofcom’s recent regulatory update.

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/consultations/category-1-10-weeks/consultation-review-of-the-universal-postal-service-and-other-postal-regulation/statement-docs/statement-review-of-the-universal-postal-service-and-other-postal-regulation.pdf?v=400219

https://www.royalmail.com/receiving/the-future-of-letter-deliveries

These changes come as part of a broader update approved by Ofcom, but while they bring some important implications for how business mail is delivered, it’s crucial to understand:

Parcel deliveries are not affected.

If your business relies on Royal Mail for fulfilment, marketing, billing, or customer communications, here’s what to expect, and what you don’t need to worry about.

What’s Changing: Second Class letter deliveries.

Key change:

• Royal Mail will deliver Second Class letters and standard business mail on alternate weekdays (Monday to Friday), rather than every weekday.

What this means for commercial senders:

• Delivery will be less frequent for letters, with a maximum 3 working day window.
• Saturday deliveries for Second Class letters are ending.
• This applies to both stamped mail and business services like Advertising Mail, Mailmark, and Response Services, if they are letter-format.

This does not include parcels. Parcel services, including Royal Mail Tracked, Special Delivery, and Tracked Returns, will continue to operate six days a week with no change to service frequency or speed.

First-class letters still daily, with slight target adjustment.

• First-Class letter deliveries will continue six days a week (Mon–Sat).
• The delivery target is being adjusted slightly:
  
  • From 93% to 90% for next-day delivery.
  • 99% expected to arrive within 3 working days.

Implications for your business:

• Continue using First Class for time-sensitive letter format communications.
• Build in a one-day margin for customer expectations and SLA protection.
• But remember, if you’re sending First Class parcels, nothing changes. Your expected delivery times remain fully intact.

Parcel deliveries: No change, business as usual

Let’s be clear:

Royal Mail’s parcel services, including Tracked 24, Tracked 48, and Special Delivery Guaranteed, are not affected by these letter delivery changes.

Whether you're a retailer shipping ecommerce orders, a subscription box company, or a B2B supplier sending product samples:

• Parcel delivery frequency remains six days a week (Mon–Sat).
• Tracking, delivery targets, and service levels remain unchanged.
• There is no impact on delivery speed or performance expectations for parcels.

How to adapt, without overhauling your operations

If you rely on letters:

• Schedule mailings around the new alternate weekday pattern.
• Use First Class or tracked services for time-sensitive content.
• Update customer-facing comms to reflect new letter timelines.

If you rely on parcels:

• No action needed, but this is a good time to reconfirm with customers that parcel delivery remains uninterrupted.

Summary: What’s changing and what isn’t

Final word for commercial mailers

If your business depends on Royal Mail, these reforms affect letters, not parcels. That means ecommerce fulfilment, tracked delivery, and customer orders remain on steady ground. But if you also rely on Royal Mail for invoices, marketing mail, newsletters, or bulk communications, now’s the time to:

• Review your mail formats.
• Reassess your use of Second Class vs First Class.
• Update delivery timelines across platforms and customer expectations.

While these changes may feel like a step back in service, they create a chance to reassess how post fits into your broader fulfilment and customer engagement model.

Clearer expectations, smarter send planning, and possible channel shifts (to tracked or digital communication) will help future-proof your logistics.

Need help evaluating your delivery mix or general shipping advice? We're here to help.

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