Did you know that a third of consumers expect their gifts to be delivered within two to three days after the purchase was made?
Shipping timeliness plays a key role in customer satisfaction, which is why it’s crucial to know your shipping providers’ holiday shipping deadlines.
At SUBTA, we want to help you achieve your best holiday season to date. Here is everything you need to know about FedEx, USPS, UPS, and DHL and their holiday shipping deadlines for your gift boxes this season.
FedEx Holiday Shipping Deadlines
FedEx Express®
- FedEx Same Day® – December 23
- FO, PO, SO, Extra Hours – December 22
- 2Day & 2Day AM – December 21
- FedEx Express Saver® – December 20
- FedEx 1Day® Freight – December 22
- FedEx 2Day® Freight – December 21
- FedEx 3Day® Freight – December 20
FedEx Ground®
- FedEx Ground® Contiguous US – December 14
- FedEx Ground® Alaska and Hawaii – December 14
- FedEx Home Delivery® Contiguous US – December 14
- FedEx Home Delivery® Alaska & Hawaii – December 14
- FedEx Ground® Economy – December 8
FedEx Freight®
- FedEx Freight® Priority – December 14
- FedEx Freight® Economy – December 8
- FedEx Freight® Direct – December 14
For more information on shipping your holiday gift boxes internationally with FedEx, click here.
USPS Holiday Shipping Deadlines
Excluding Alaska & Hawaii
- USPS Retail Ground® Service – December 15
- First-Class Mail® Service – December 17
- Priority Mail® Service – December 19
- Priority Mail Express® Service – December 23
For Alaska (AK)
- USPS Retail Ground® Service – December 2
- First-Class Mail® Service – December 18
- Priority Mail® Service – December 18
- Priority Mail Express® Service – December 21
For Hawaii (HI)
- USPS Retail Ground® Service – N/A
- First-Class Mail® Service – December 17
- Priority Mail® Service – December 17
- Priority Mail Express® Service – December 21
For more information on shipping your holiday gift boxes internationally with USPS, click here.
UPS Holiday Shipping Deadlines
Domestic
- UPS® Ground shipping – Click here for details
- UPS 3 Day Select® – December 20
- UPS 2nd Day Air® services – December 21
- UPS Next Day Air® – December 22
For more information on shipping your holiday gift boxes internationally with UPS, click here.
DHL Holiday Shipping Deadlines
DHL has not released its year-end holiday schedule. Bookmark this page as it will be regularly updated.
Extra Tips for the 2022 Holiday Season
- Nearly 70% of consumers who received a subscription as a gift ultimately subscribe to the brand themselves, per an Attest survey conducted by SUBTA. Create a streamlined process for gift recipients to become continued subscribers. Grab the gift recipient’s email at checkout to have on hand for later marketing strategies or include a QR code within the gift for the recipient to easily utilize.
- Instead of charging an additional fee for shipping, include it as part of your monthly subscription offer. More than 90% of consumers are expecting to not get charged for holiday shipping.
- Pre-launch subscriptions: Build your business model with the cost of goods and shipping price combined. “If you’re going to charge $50 a month versus $45 a month and $5 shipping, just charge the $50,” advises Christopher George, Co-Founder and Chairman of SUBTA.
- Existing brands: Build out future subscription offerings with shipping included. “Let’s say you’re charging $35 a month plus $5.99 shipping … For all new customers, change it to a $40.99/month subscription with free shipping,” suggests George. “The current, existing customers are already signed up [and] already know they’re going to get charged a certain amount plus shipping.”
- Entice your subscribers to offer your product/service as a gift and convert the gift recipients into brand advocates. More than 65% of consumers are likely to gift a subscription… They just need the right push, per an Attest survey conducted by SUBTA.
- Optimize your site for mobile and tablet usage; purchases made on electronic devices are expected to represent almost half of e-commerce sales, according to Insider Intelligence.
Looking for more ways to enhance the visuals of your subscription services? Attend SubSummit for more tips like these to expand your brand!
