Holiday Rush: Mastering Peak Season Shipping with UPS

Master the holiday eCommerce rush with essential UPS shipping strategies.
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Last update:

February 27, 2024

As the holiday season approaches, eCommerce merchants face the annual challenge of managing a surge in orders. Efficiently handling this rush is crucial for customer satisfaction and operational success. This blog outlines strategies for tackling peak season using UPS's robust shipping services.

Implement Segmented Shipping Strategies

Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, segment your shipping strategy to cater to different product types, weights, destinations, and urgency levels. This ensures you're not overpaying for shipping and optimizes delivery times. For instance, lightweight, non-urgent items can be shipped via UPS® Ground Saver, while urgent packages might require UPS Next Day Air® service.

Additionally, be mindful of peak season surcharges that can increase your shipping costs. Fortunately, as a commitment to sellers on ShipSaving, UPS will not apply the recently announced Demand Surcharges!

Explore UPS® Service Levels for Optimal Shipping

Differentiating between UPS's various service levels can greatly enhance your shipping strategy:

  • UPS® Ground: Day-definite delivery in 1-5 days. Ideal for less time-sensitive shipments, offering cost-effectiveness with reliable delivery.
  • UPS® Ground Saver: UPS® Ground Saver is an economy, residential, ground delivery service. Perfect for your lightweight, non-time-sensitive packages.
  • UPS 2nd Day Air® service: Second-day delivery that balances speed with cost, suitable for moderately urgent shipments.
  • UPS Next Day Air® service: For your most urgent shipments, guaranteeing next-day delivery and optimal for last-minute orders.

When you ship with UPS on ShipSaving, take advantage of discounts of up to 78% off on UPS® Ground shipments, up to 73% for UPS Next Day Air® and UPS 2nd Day Air® service, and up to 82% off on international services, with rates that include Fuel Surcharge and Residential Surcharge for all services and Delivery Area Surcharge for domestic services.*

Utilize UPS's Flexible Pickup and Delivery Options

During the peak season, timing is everything. Utilize UPS's extended business hours and weekend services to manage order surges effectively. You can drop off your shipment 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at UPS® Drop Box locations and enjoy later pickup times. This flexibility helps you handle last-minute orders efficiently and maintain high customer satisfaction. Plus, you also get free tracking information for your shipment, 24/7.

Weekend Services For Business

When the weekend arrives, you don't have to put business on pause. UPS weekend

pickup and delivery services can help you take more orders after your Friday pickup, turn inventory faster and, best of all, create happier customers.

  • Saturday pickups: UPS offers Saturday pickup for all service levels.**
  • Commercial delivery on Saturdays: UPS offers Saturday commercial delivery.
  • Residential delivery to more than 100 metro areas across the U.S. on Saturday at no additional cost for select UPS® Ground Packages.***

**Saturday Ground pickup is available in the contiguous 48 states.

***Select UPS® Ground packages with a committed delivery day of Monday or Tuesday may be eligible to receive delivery on the Saturday prior to their committed delivery date in territories eligible for Saturday Residential delivery.

UPS Access Point® Locations

Missed deliveries can increase during the holidays due to customers being away. Luckily, UPS offers an industry-leading network of more than 22,000 UPS Access Point® locations to pick up or drop off packages, such as The UPS Store® locations, Michaels, CVS, Advance Auto Parts, and local independent retailers, to mitigate this issue. These locations offer convenient options for customers to pick up or drop off packages, reducing the risk of missed deliveries.

Conclusion

As we draw close, remember that the holiday season's shipping challenges are not just hurdles to overcome but opportunities to excel and impress your customers. By embracing these innovative strategies and making UPS's comprehensive services your secret weapon, you can transform the holiday shipping rush into a triumph for your business.

Merry savings and happy shipping with UPS! Save up to 82% off* when you ship with UPS on ShipSaving!

*Discounts off UPS® Daily Rates. Rates are limited to shipping from the U.S. only. Rates and any applicable discounts are subject to change at any time without notice. Terms and conditions apply.

†Demand Surcharges are not applied only to accounts opened on ShipSaving

Written on:

November 17, 2023
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