To cash in on the growing e-commerce market across the world, Qatar Postal Services Company (Q-Post) has launched its new service "Connected by Qatar Post".

The formal launch of the international parcel forwarding service was announced yesterday at the Arab Future Cities Summit in the presence of HE the Transport and Communication Minister Jassim Saif Ahmed al-Sulaiti.

Speaking on the occasion, Q-Post chairman and managing director Faleh al-Naiemi expressed the hope that the country's residents would avail the services of the new platform developed by the postal corporation while placing orders for their ever growing requirements from such markets as the US and the UK.

Within a couple of weeks, the e-commerce platform will also cover Japan, China and Germany. More countries are to be added to the network later.

Al-Naiemi said the service has been successfully tested and in place for more than a week. Qatar residents could place their orders after registering on the www.connected.qa website within the Q-Post portal and ask for shipment from suppliers of goods they are looking for. They could receive the packages at their select location in Qatar or collect from any Q-Post branch of their choice.

The chairman said the Q-Post is looking for feedback on the new service from Qatar residents. Earlier at the meeting, al-Naiemi also announced the launch of the postal company's e-locker parcels scheme, under which customers could collect their local or international parcel from e-lockers, likely to be installed in select locations.

E-locker, it is understood, is something like an ATM where a customer needs to use a secret password to collect his/her parcel. The password will be provided to the customer by the postal company once the parcel is sent to the e-locker.