Gloucestershire businesses may be able to get timed delivery slots from Royal Mail next year as the company seeks to fight off competition from Amazon.

Customers would be offered the chance to pay extra for a premium service allowing them to specify time windows for receiving parcels.

Royal Mail is saying little publicly at present, but the Mail on Sunday reported that an internal video highlighted plans for 'delivery windows' set to be launched next year as the service is overhauled to provide three tiers of delivery.

A Royal Mail spokesman told Punchline Gloucester: "We are simplifying our product range to an easy to understand 'good', 'better', 'best' structure. This will make it easier for customers to choose the products that perfectly meet their needs. This work is in early development."

It's understood that the information came from an internal update to let employees know about plans in the pipeline.

The current base service will stay, but two tiers of premium parcel deliveries are expected to be added for an extra cost.

A middle tier, called "My Choice", will reportedly allow customers to choose which day their items will be delivered. Only the most expensive delivery tier would allow customers to choose a specific time slot for their delivery.

Royal Mail will then cut down on duplicate services to simply the offering to customers.

Last month, the company announced that Sunday parcel deliveries would be launched within weeks to target a bigger share of the growing online market.

Royal Mail experienced a surge in profits during the Covid lockdowns but faces an ongoing battle with delivery giant Amazon.