Royal Mail courts online shoppers with parcel collection from Post Offices Online shopping grew nearly 15pc last year to hit £31.1bn, or more than a tenth of all retailing, according to Verdict UK. By 2017 it is expected to account for 15pc of all sales. Royal Mail aims to increase its share of the parcel market as the number of letters sent continues to decline as a result of the rise of email, text messaging and social networks. The letters market shrunk 6pc by volume last year, but Royal Mail delivered 6pc more parcels. Click and Collect is designed to help Royal Mail compete in a parcel delivery market that already provides several major retailers with similar services. Amazon offers delivery to 5,000 convenience stores in Yodel's Collect+ network, for instance. Growing Royal Mail's parcels business amid competition from the private sector is a key part of chief executive Moya Greene's plan to attract investors. She is expected to lead a stockmarket listing later this year. Online retail helped drive Royal Mail's pre-tax profits up 61pc to £324m, its annual report revealed last week. Parcel revenues grew 14pc to account for almost half the total. Jo Swinson, the Postal Affairs Minister, said Click and Collect was "a great example of how the expanding digital market is creating commercial opportunities to build a sustainable future for the Post Office and Royal Mail."