With the dawn of electronic communication, the importance of the postal service as a fast method of reaching out to business partners or loved ones diminished. First the fax machine, and now e-mail has become the dominant mode of communication when near-immediacy is required. Given the changing nature of communication, Hongkong Post has inevitably had to find innovative ways to generate revenue other than relying on postage stamps. Inland post has been maintained at a relatively cheap price of HK$1.40 for a simple letter under 30 grams.

One disadvantage of this is Hongkong Post's Circular Service, which makes every household with a post box the potential target of unwanted direct marketing. According to the advertisement on Hongkong Post's website, the service provides businesses with a 'smart targeting tool' whereby businesses can send their marketing to certain clusters identified by demographic and lifestyle choices. Last year, 119 million circulars were sent out.

Unsurprisingly, the difficulty in opting out of this scheme was the subject of complaints to the Ombudsman, which has now given rise to a sticker scheme indicating that your post box does not welcome such mail. Hong Kong residents already suffer from a flood of direct marketing calls each day, while virtually every form of public transport now contains some sort of media broadcasting more advertising. The value of the postal service lies in its ability to convey tangible messages with sentimental value, such as cards celebrating a particularly significant occasion such as a wedding or a birth, or heartfelt letters from loved ones.