UPS starts Saturday Standard service for e-commerce market

23 Jul '20

3 min read

Pic: UPS

As UK consumers have increasingly turned to online shopping during the coronavirus lockdowns, UPS (NYSE:UPS) has launched its UPS Saturday Standard service across eight of Europe’s top e-commerce markets: the UK, Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Spain, and Poland. UPS offers various solutions including transporting packages and freight.

The new delivery service offers businesses of all sizes, particularly smaller online retailers, a reliable and cost-effective option to reach their customers at the weekend.

While weekend deliveries normally come with a surcharge, UPS is the only carrier consistently offering a Saturday delivery option at the normal weekday cost when shipping to one of more than 17,000 UPS access point locations in Europe’s top eight e-commerce markets. UPS Access Point locations are local businesses, such as neighbourhood convenience stores with extended evening and weekend hours, giving customers the flexibility to pick up their parcels when it suits their schedule. The new service complements existing UPS Express Saturday deliveries, which now benefit from a pre-noon delivery.

“According to the IMRG Capgemini Online Retail Index, retail e-commerce sales in the UK grew nearly 33 per cent in May 2020 as customers turned to online shopping during the lockdown. Traditional delivery options limited to Monday through Friday no longer fit our customers’ expectations. UPS has introduced Saturday deliveries so that British businesses shipping with UPS can now deliver six days a week to their customers, allowing them to meet increased demand and ensure a positive delivery experience,” Mark Vale, president, UK, Ireland, and the Nordics said in an UPS press release.

“The pandemic has accelerated the growth of e-commerce, with online retail sales in Europe growing by more than 60 per cent at the height of lockdowns in mid-April. Introducing Saturday deliveries for UPS Standard is one way that we’re helping businesses adjust to the new environment, by offering them the services they need to meet their customers’ expectations. Online retailers can now benefit from cross-border Saturday deliveries with UPS, reaching about 80 per cent of the population in eight key European e-commerce markets,” Lou Rivieccio, president, UPS Europe said.

UPS has recently invested $2 billion in enhancing its network in Europe, enabling it to provide businesses faster and more efficient connections to their customers in 220 countries and territories. As a result of this investment, customers can now reach more than 80 per cent of Europe’s population within two business days using UPS Standard.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (GK)

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