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Izabela Karolczyk-Szafrańska, InPost: Innovation is the culture of the organisation

InPost is not only about Paczkomat® machines, but an entire ecosystem’, says Izabela Karolczyk-Szafrańska, Chief Marketing & ESG Officer, InPost Group.

Publikacja: 09.09.2024 04:28

Izabela Karolczyk-Szafrańska, InPost: Innovation is the culture of the organisation

Foto: Maciej Zygmunt

It has been 25 years since the InPost Group started its operations. Fifteen years ago the first Paczkomat® machine was deployed, today there are over 40,000 of them in Europe. How do we surprise people now? What do we do to be an innovative company?

When I started working at InPost six years ago, we had 6,000 Paczkomat® parcel lockers. By the end of the first quarter of 2024 we had 70,000 OOH points in Europe – that's huge progress. Companies fall into two types – those that deliver value to the consumer by answering the question – what can we do to make the product interesting, and ‘game changers’, that is companies that answer the question – what else can we do. InPost is not only about Paczkomat® machines, but an entire ecosystem. One example is our latest service, InPost Pay, intended to draw the consumer into our world and exceed their expectations in terms of progress.

Is it a good idea to add more services, such as financial services?

Poland is amazing when it comes to fintech, or financial solutions. I can compare Poland with other markets because I work with people from France and the UK. Compared to them, Poland stands out for its extraordinary development. Blik is a huge success and a dynamically developing product. Financial services are not as developed in France or the UK. After 1990 our economy gained momentum and skipped certain stages of development, which illustrates the creativity of our nation.

For example, we skipped cheques, which were popular in many countries in the West. Compared to Poland, a customer in Germany has to wait much longer to receive a transfer.

And the process is much more complicated.

What do you think can be introduced to our market based on international experience?

There are many things. However, it is not possible to create innovative products in every company. Innovation means the culture of an organisation, and you need to have the right mindset to create revolutionary products. It has to be a part of the company's DNA. At InPost innovation is not just the responsibility of one person – these processes take place at the level of finance, machine design or consumer services. The whole company is involved.

One part of building brand recognition is sports marketing. InPost was a sponsor of the Tour de France, which in part takes place in Italy, where there are Paczkomat® machines. You are also partners of Newcastle United or Atlético Madrid. In December 2023. Newcastle won 1:0 against Manchester United. The goal scorer ran towards a banner displaying an InPost advert – I assume this was arranged? What does it mean for InPost to be involved in sport?

We agreed with Newcastle that they had a goal to score when our banners were displayed – of course I'm joking. It was really great. Luck favours the prepared.

In all seriousness, InPost has been involved in sport for as long as I can remember. It's about excitement, the pace of work, pushing your limits – and the emotions are always real, they can't be bought. There is nothing more beautiful for marketers than to enter into a partnership with the Tour de France, Atlético Madrid or Newcastle United. At InPost, we focus on products with great reach. Sports marketing is not only about building awareness, but also business relationships. On one side we have the financial side, whether sport pays off, and on the other side there are pure emotions and brand-building activities.

Are business partners not surprised that a company from Poland comes in and pursues a ‘go global’ strategy?

We are gaining recognition in Europe. In France, the brand we're talking about is Mondial Relay, which has 86% recognition – it's a very big brand. We constantly measure brand awareness in all nine markets in which we operate. The product is developing exactly the way we want it to, and even faster in some markets.

What does InPost do to build green awareness? There are electric cars, but what else could be green in your business?

ESG is part of our business strategy, something we talk about more than just the income statement. We are environmentally friendly by nature, so this issue features frequently in our strategic actions. The biggest challenge is to include the whole group in our operations – that's nine markets, different models and a different energy mix. We are a company that emits a lot. We are currently in the process of signing long-term agreements to purchase green energy. We continue to expand our fleet with more electric cars, and we use recycled, low-emission materials to manufacture our Paczkomat® machines. We are on a decarbonisation path and shall continue to do our part for the environment.

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It has been 25 years since the InPost Group started its operations. Fifteen years ago the first Paczkomat® machine was deployed, today there are over 40,000 of them in Europe. How do we surprise people now? What do we do to be an innovative company?

When I started working at InPost six years ago, we had 6,000 Paczkomat® parcel lockers. By the end of the first quarter of 2024 we had 70,000 OOH points in Europe – that's huge progress. Companies fall into two types – those that deliver value to the consumer by answering the question – what can we do to make the product interesting, and ‘game changers’, that is companies that answer the question – what else can we do. InPost is not only about Paczkomat® machines, but an entire ecosystem. One example is our latest service, InPost Pay, intended to draw the consumer into our world and exceed their expectations in terms of progress.

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