The Belgian Post service Bpost is seeing a steady decline in physical mail, but postcards are enjoying a revival.
ADVERTISEMENTCall it nostalgia for traditional messaging; classic postcards are making a comeback in Belgium this summer.
Belgium's national postal operator, Bpost, is seeing a steady decline in physical mail but postcards are immune to the trend.
"It's a bit of a retro object. It's true that my generation might think we use postcards less, but we choose them. As a physical object we keep, it's also a souvenir for the person who receives it," says one young Belgian.
"For me, it's really important to capture that moment and share it with the person," says another.
"And yeah, for me, it's really a vector of emotions, a reminder of childhood memories" added the Belgian woman.
Every year, Bpost introduces a stamp on a hot trending social issue or theme. This year, it launched its first crypto stamp — a physical stamp with a unique digital image counterpart that can be virtually collected or exchanged.
The stamp went on sale in June to mark the 150th anniversary of the Universal Postal Union (UPU).
Postcards may be vintage, but the journey they take to reach your letterbox relies heavily on computers and cutting-edge technology.
Brussels X sorting machines which help deliver postcards are capable of processing and packaging 25,000 to 30,000 items per hour.
"At Bpost, we don't differentiate in the figures between postcards and normal mail such as letters," Mathieu Goedefroy, a representative from Bpost, said.
"But every year we see a decline of between five and 10%. Last year, the decline was 8.4%" Goedefroy added.
The second quarter of 2024 resulted in €988.2 million in revenue for the company, a 3.8% decline compared to the previous year.