UPS Says Number Of Packages Returned Peaks BEFORE Christmas, Reflecting E-Commerce Shift

Posted on December 20, 2018 by mailomg in Uncategorized // 0 Comments

1.5 million returns expected on National Returns Day, Dec. 19, setting a record for the sixth consecutive year; In December, more than 1 million returns expected daily leading up to Christmas

National Returns Day is expected to occur prior to Christmas, reflecting just how deeply e-commerce is reshaping the retail universe, according to UPS (NYSE: UPS).
Consumers who got a jump on online shopping in the days before Black Friday are expected to begin returning more than 1 million packages each day in December, jumpstarting the holiday returns season earlier than ever. The spike is driven by self-gifting due to retailer promotions, express shipping for deliveries and returns, simplified returns processes and advanced re-stocking and management systems.

In past years, National Returns Day occurred in early January and represented the highest spike of packages for the entire year. Returns are still expected to hit 1.3 million packages on Jan. 3, but this will now represent the second wave and be outpaced by Dec. 19th returns of 1.5 million. These returns are included in the 800 million packages UPS anticipates delivering this holiday season.

Research continues to show that to succeed in e-commerce retailers must offer comprehensive returns services. UPS’s Pulse of the Online Shopper study found that … (click to read more)

Next USPS Rate Hike In July, But It’s Not All Bad News

WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Postal Service released PostalOne! Release notes effective July 9, 2023 in anticipation of the next postage rate hike. This will be the second [...]
MAILCOM Vegas Begins March 20

MAILCOM 2023 kicks off March 20 at the Tuscany in Las Vegas. The three-day conference features over 70 keynotes, sessions and workshops on mail, printing, and distribution [...]
Update: Postal Facilities To Be Converted To S&DCs

The U.S. Postal Service notified the American Postal Workers Union of upcoming postal facilities that will be converted to Sorting & Delivery Centers (S&DCs). In the [...]
New Stamp For Nonprofit Business Mailings

LIBERTY, NY — Today, the U.S. Postal Service issued Patriotic Block, a new nondenominated, nonprofit stamp intended for business mailings by authorized nonprofit [...]
Combating Digital Fatigue With Direct Mail

From Toni McQuilken at Brand United: Digital marketing is just getting lost in the crowd right now, with consumers pulling away from connecting with brands on yet [...]
International Paper Marks 125th Anniversary

International Paper announced a company rebrand to align with its strategic vision to Build a Better IP through sustainable, profitable growth and accelerated value creation. [...]
BOWE At Hunkeler Days: Mailroom Automation That Goes A Step Further (video)

BOWE SYSTEC set new benchmarks in mailroom automation for transactional printing and direct mail service providers at Hunkeler Innovationdays 2023. The BOWE GROUP division [...]
Mastering RFP Vendor Selection for Print/Mail Production

COLLEYVILLE, TX — Madison Advisors has published a new brief entitled “Mastering RFP Vendor Selection” that presents methods for optimizing the request for [...]
Remote-Work Employees Refuse To Go Back To Office

From Daily Mail: The US economy is losing billions as stubborn workers continue to refuse to return to the office, with more than 30 percent of work done remotely last month. [...]
USPS To Electrify the Nation’s Largest Federal Vehicle Fleet

WASHINGTON, DC — The United States Postal Service awarded contracts today for 9,250 commercially available left-hand drive (LHD) battery electric vehicles (BEVs) as well as [...]
Use Emerging Technologies to Stand Out in the Mail

From SPC: Integrating a strategic technology-driven extension is more than just a trend in direct marketing. It can be a game-changer. Applications such as Augmented Reality, [...]
Latest USPS Report Shows Sustained Service Performance

WASHINGTON, DC — The United States Postal Service reported new delivery performance metrics for the eighth week of the second quarter for fiscal year 2023 showing [...]
MAIL Magazine & OMG Advertising

35th Anniversary Year | 1989 – 2023 Reach over 100,000 decision-makers in 185 nations with the digital and print editions of MAIL Magazine and the Official Mail Guide. For [...]
Domestic Mail Manual (DMM): Mailing Standards U.S. Postal Service updated November 7, 2022

Here is the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) — the Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, updated 11-7-22: U.S. Postage Rates All Classes Effective January [...]
USPS To End Hard-Copy Postage Statements

WASHINGTON, DC — The Postal Service is proposing to discontinue the use of hardcopy postage statements for domestic commercial mailings, as stated in a Federal Register [...]