In this day and age, environmental concerns are probably more prominent in people's minds than ever before. Such concerns are naturally also commonly felt by people seeking to use a courier service to dispatch items, but who nonetheless seek packaging that remains sufficiently safe and practical for mailing. Thankfully, though, Pregis Protective Packaging have gone some way towards addressing such concerns with the development and launch of their new greener envelope, dubbed Air-Kraft Renew.

Pregis claim that this new envelope's air cushion liner has been made from materials containing between 40% and 100% recycled resin content, while 100% recycled content paper has been used for making the envelope's exterior. The company explains that the high degree of recycled material used for manufacturing the envelope means less use of virgin raw materials and discarded waste, and thus less use of precious natural resources and increased cost effectiveness compared to mailers manufactured from completely virgin material. Furthermore, the protective interior bubble lining, which is made from low density polyethylene, can be easily parted from the envelope for recycling.

All of this means that, when combined with use of one of Interlink Direct's national or international shipping services, use of this envelope can ensure not only greener, but also safer, speedier and more reliable parcel delivery. To send parcel weighing no more than 25kgs and measuring up to 1 metre long, 0.6 metres wide and 0.7 metres high is simple thanks to their well-designed website, through which attractive online quotes are available. Interlink Direct also accept a generous choice of payment methods.

The Internet has revolutionised the shopping experience in a myriad of ways. Not only can many people carry out their shopping without even leaving the comfort of their home thanks to online-enabled desktop and laptop computers, an ever-rising volume of people can now even choose to shop while both out of their house and well away from a physical shop. Furthermore, recent figures suggest that more and more people are now taking advantage of the opportunities presented by mobile online shopping and courier companies.

For a start, a survey by EPiServer carried out in late 2011 found that roughly a third of UK consumers had purchased something via a mobile website during the previous twelve months. The survey additionally indicated that use of the mobile Internet was just ahead of use of app-based access - to be precise, numbering 33% to 26%. Furthermore, e-retailers' organisation eDigitalResearch IMRG's eCustomerServiceIndex showed that 24% of UK consumers had accessed websites through their smartphone during outdoor shopping, 40% of which had proceeded to purchase something online.

Undoubtedly one massive incentive for purchasing items through an online mobile device is the option to shop at almost any time and in almost any place, thus significantly trimming time that would otherwise be spent travelling to a physical shop or to an online desktop or laptop computer. To send a parcel also becomes much easier thanks to a speedy and reliable courier service from Interlink Direct, through which even international shipping is possible. And our website can be readily accessed by a wide range of smartphones!

The retail sector has long been highly competitive, and is becoming more so all the time - especially given the rise in the number of popular online-only retailers like Amazon and Play. In fact, the online retail sector has even become highly competitive in itself. This is why online retailers of many different forms should benefit from the recent launch of a new online resource centre offering advice in various areas of e-commerce, from sourcing the raw materials for the goods to arranging parcel delivery.

The centre, dubbed Commerce in Motion, has been launched by several well-known businesses, including Capgemini, Microsoft and Tompkins Associates, and was built and is sponsored by supply-chain solutions provider RedPrairie. Users of Commerce in Motion should expect to see it increasingly filled with plenty of white papers, reports, research, commentary, networking events and interactive tools, all of which suited to assisting online retailers in competing in an ever more crowded marketplace.

All of these resources should certainly help British online retailers to streamline the parcel delivery process, as should the plentiful national and international courier services available through esteemed UK courier service provider Interlink Direct. This company boasts 99 strategically located depots across the UK and its own parcel delivery network, ensuring that online retailers can send parcel volumes in both a time- and cost-effective manner. Sourcing attractive online quotes through the Interlink Direct website is also delightfully hassle-free, making both this company and Commerce in Motion valuable for a large variety of UK-based online retailers.

Thanks to a special concession - known as the LVCR (Low Value Consignment Relief) system - introduced by the EU in 1983, retailers based on the Channel Islands have long been legally exempt from payment of VAT when choosing to send parcel batches containing certain low-value items from the Islands to the UK. This apparently unjust arrangement has proved a bone of contention for many years, but will finally be scrapped by the British government from 1 April 2012.

The LVCR system has most notably often been drawn upon by big name mainland retailers seeking to save VAT costs through placing their warehouses on the Islands. However, despite fears that up to 1,500 jobs there could be sacrificed, the UK government insists that it will nonetheless recover as much as £140 million in lost VAT income through their scrapping of this oft-criticised system.

Such criticism has been particularly noticeable from the body Retailers Against VAT Avoidance Schemes, which has long spoke in the interests of the disadvantaged small British mainland retailers. However, Richard Allen, the organisation's head, warmly welcomed the government's move, enthusing that it "should be welcomed by all UK businesses that wish to trade online".

Indeed, thanks to this change, many online retailers based on the UK mainland should expect to see enhanced profits throughout the years ahead. They can also save crucial money and time through regularly drawing on Interlink Direct's national and international courier services, the efficiency of which can be at least partly attributed to the company's 99 depots strategically located across the country.

Given the ever-rising sales of Internet-enabled mobile devices like Apple's iPhone and the various Blackberry and Android smartphones, it should prove little surprise that online retailers are enjoying an increasing number of sales through such devices. This discovery, made by online retailers' body IMRG, could additionally mean a new stream of business for parcel delivery firms like Interlink Direct.

IMRG's research indicates that sales achieved through mobile devices increased to roughly 3.3% of online sales in mid-2011 from about 0.4% in early 2010. Furthermore, the percentage of visits to online retailer websites through mobile devices increased to about 7% in the third quarter of 2011 from roughly 1.4% in early 2010. Some retailers, according to IMRG, have even recently recorded a percentage as high as 12%.

However, signs remain that all such figure increases should be kept in perspective. Though all these increases are sufficiently high to be notable, the proportion of online sales made through mobile devices nonetheless continues to be much lower than the proportion of online sales made through the more conventional medium of a desktop or laptop computer. However, both retailers and courier service providers could still prepare to take advantage of further increases in these figures.

Both could follow the example of parcel delivery company Interlink Direct. Their website is well-designed and suitable for access through many online-enabled mobile devices. Furthermore, the company has been accredited by IDIS (Internet Delivery Is Safe), which is sure to lend their customers considerable peace of mind when they draw on an Interlink Direct courier service.

According to address management specialist Postcode Anywhere, the necessity of filling in overly long online forms - including filling in postal addresses - is the most common reason for people abandoning the process of making an order through an online shop. It is at least partly for this reason that the company have introduced a new international addressing tool for use with the Magento e-commerce system. This system is routinely used by many online retailers, and this new addressing plug-in pledges to make it easier for these retailers to boost the frequency of national and international parcel delivery of their products.

The addressing plug-in enables online retailers using the Magento platform to add verification for UK, US and worldwide addresses to their website's checkout forms. Addresses which can be captured by the tool, according to Postcode Anywhere, include those in countries from continents like Europe and Africa. Crucially for those retailers which have long used the Magento platform, this addressing tool can be easily adapted to custom website templates, and averts the use of a pop-up window - which many modern browsers have been developed to automatically block.

As concerns about time-consuming form-filling often rank above those related to online security in the minds of online shoppers, Postcode Anywhere's new tool is likely to encourage greater business for both online retailers and parcel delivery firms. Interlink Direct, for instance, offer a courier service for many needs of online retailers seeking to send a parcel speedily, efficiently and safely, as is clear on their website.

Making money through online trading can be a profitable business, as an increasing number of people have recently found. In fact, a survey recently carried out by Startups.co.uk has revealed that the number of people earning a second income in this manner doubled during 2011. Furthermore, it has been revealed that almost half of these online traders rely on post to transport items to customers - which, should the growth of these traders continue, is a positive sign for parcel delivery companies across the country.

Whether they opt for national or international shipping, such traders have often enjoyed considerable financial return for their efforts within a very short amount of time, with a third of them already reportedly earning over £10,000 a year from their online businesses. In total, 46% of online entrepreneurs have been revealed as requiring mail services, like Interlink Direct's courier service, to dispatch the goods that they sell.

Indeed, the success of such traders is likely to further grow throughout the following years - as, according to the survey, a third of the examined traders are planning to focus on their online business full-time. Meanwhile, 71% of the traders are aspiring to follow this path should it prove possible. These traders are likely to already have busy working lives, but, thankfully, applying for an online quote for a courier service from Interlink Direct is straightforward and time-efficient. Furthermore, the company is an IDIS (Internet Delivery Is Safe) accredited retailer, enhancing the faith which online traders can have in its national and international delivery services.

Since the release and evident blossoming popularity of Apple's first version of the iPad tablet computer in 2010, an ever-rising number of electronics manufacturers have deigned to make inroads into Apple's share of the market for tablet computers through releasing their own versions. These new tablet computers have, however, often come installed with Google's Android operating system - as does Panasonic's first foray into this market, the soon-to-be-released ToughPad. Thanks to living up to its name, the ToughPad makes so many activities, like drawing on a courier service, easier in a wide range of scenarios.
   
The ToughPad is primarily intended for business purposes, and its first model, the Toughpad FZ-A1, will measure 10 inches and come with the Android 3.2 operating system, a 1.2BHz dual-core Marvell processor, 1GB of SDRAM and 16GB of storage capacity, plus an optional further 16GB of storage capacity through a Micro SD card. Being built for use during tough outdoor operations in sectors including aviation, construction and public safety, the ToughPad FZ-A1 also boasts an MIL-STD-810G rating - ensuring that it can withstand 120cm drops - and an IP65 ingress protection rating, which indicates its resistance to dust and water.

Even drawing on one of the many excellent parcel delivery services from Interlink Direct will be possible through the ToughPad, as it already is through a wide range of online-enabled tablet computers. Our website is perfectly designed for viewing through the screen of a tablet computer, through which you can easily arrange for a national or international parcel delivery.

Transporting goods, such as parcels, around in a warehouse has always had its dangers. Worryingly, however, the importance of preparing for and countering such dangers has not always been sufficiently recognised, especially in less relevant industries. However, one crucial step towards rectifying this common oversight has been last year's Operator of the Year competition, which was organised by RTITB and could have very positive implications for awareness of safety procedures among courier companies and beyond.

To send a parcel involves many stages, each of which likely to come with their own safety dilemmas. This only heightens the relevance to parcel delivery companies of the Operator of the Year competition since its inception in 2008. No wonder, then, that last year's version of the competition was significantly expanded, incorporating an online testing stage and five National Finals.

Safety has always been at the forefront of the minds of staff at Interlink Direct. We don't refer here to just staff safety - we take just as seriously the safety of the parcels that we send, whether we intend to send parcel within the UK or use international shipping. This is reflected in our accreditation by IDIS (Internet Delivery Is Safe) and our website's verification as IDIS compliant. The money you spend on our services is also safe, as we boast a similar accreditation and verification from ISIS (Internet Shopping Is Safe).

Whether you wish to send parcel using national or international delivery, don't hesitate to apply through our website for a quote. Our rates are competitive and our courier service is speedy and reliable.

Given the recent onset of the new financial crisis in the Eurozone, following the rising cost of living and the many public spending cuts set to be enacted by the government, British people could hardly be blamed for opting to rein in their usual spending patterns. However, figures recently released by the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index indicate that online sales during September grew by 15% compared to the same month in 2010 - encouraging news for courier companies and online businesses across the country.

Online shopping and its use of courier service providers has long had its attractions for many different types of shoppers, owing to the significant choice of products on sale and amount of money which can be saved on travel costs. Indeed, online retail sectors which particularly thrived during September included clothing, home and garden and alcohol, according to IMRG. IMRG added that small ticket items also persist in their healthy sales.

Overall, the online home shopping value throughout September totalled £5.5 billion, contributing to the total 2011 value recorded up to September of £47 billion. Furthermore, the entire British retail market grew, according to the British Retail Consortium, by 0.3% in September. This generally bodes well for the corresponding figures of early 2012, especially given the high value and dependable national and international delivery services offered by parcel delivery company Interlink Direct. The company's use of its own, rather than third party, parcel delivery network - which incorporates over 100 depots across the country - helps it to send parcel volumes in a thoroughly streamlined manner.