UPS is making a big change, and the increase in eCommerce is the reason. For the first time, UPS will be delivering on Saturdays. Of course this is great news for shoppers who won’t have to wait until Monday for their package, and it’s good news for AMS. As a large fulfillment company, we do a great deal of business to consumer shipping, and changes that help streamline this process are welcomed.
FedEx and USPS already are delivering on Saturdays, so the change is basic good business for UPS. Saturday delivery will translate into satisfied customers, and it will also bring about new jobs for 6,000 people by 2018, according to some estimates. According to UPS, the Saturday delivery schedule will be operational in thousands of cities by November, in time for the holiday season.
Buying habits continue to change drastically, as millions are shopping and buying online, more than ever before. Department stores have been feeling the change in a big way. So why do consumers now trust and buy products sight unseen? That trust certainly comes in part from positive experience, i.e. good product, speedy shipping, excellent customer service and return policies that make the buyer comfortable.
This change in commerce, referred to as the ‘Amazon effect’, certainly plays a role in the decisions of shippers like UPS. No longer a trend, eCommerce is stable, growing, bringing change as covered in our related blogs on the subject, Retail Stores Heavily Impacted by eCommerce, and “Freight Freak” John B: No ‘Free Shipping’ Lunch.
Fulfillment companies like AMS play a significant role in this consumer trust as well as in the increase in online shopping. We handle warehousing, quality checking, packaging, shipping and in many cases returns, refunds, repair or replacement of orders placed online. As a full-service fulfillment company we will even handle customer service phone calls and emails… so basically we handle everything but design, manufacturing, marketing, and carrying the package to your door.
We’re proud to be such a big part of the way people buy and sell today. A few years ago there was a prediction that by 2016, 80% of the buyer/seller interaction will happen on social media. We don’t know if that occurred, but with so much buying taking place not in stores but electronically, we see that as a clear possibility.
From infomercial/DRTV to online shopping – we handle it all, and we do it almost invisibly. Having spent years providing top-notch eCommerce fulfillment, we know the importance of the package delivery to the customer, and the importance of happy customers to our clients.
CNN offers more information on the changes at UPS in the following article: CNN: UPS Saturday Delivery, and this recent Bloomberg article gives more detail on the growth of eCommerce, and its impact on brick and mortar stores.
