‘Tis the season in more ways than one! The holidays are upon us and it is no secret that holidays mean gifts, purchases, and a whirlwind of intertwining logistic solutions. However, one thing often overlooked are the rate of returns during this time of year.
On November 4th, UPS predicted that this year’s holiday returns will peak at 1.9 million packages on January 2nd, an estimated increase of 26% compared to last year. This includes the forecasted 1.6 million returns per day the week before Christmas Day because of retail promotions that encourage shoppers to buy gifts early. USPS is also anticipating almost 2.5 billion pieces of first-class mail (e.g. holiday greeting cards) to be processed during the week of December 16th.
Nowadays, 73% of shoppers are influenced by the return experience of a brand. Based on their return experience, determines on whether or not they would make another purchase from that company in the future. Now, more than ever, convenient return policies are in high demand and gives retailers a competitive edge in ecommerce.
“We estimate UPS will deliver more than 32 million packages per day in the U.S. and around the world, an increase of more than 50% over our regular daily volume,” said Matthew O’Connor, UPS senior manager for public relations.
https://www.ttnews.com/articles/holiday-season-returns-will-set-record-ups-predicts
USPS is already making Sunday deliveries in select major cities and will expand that service to other areas with high package volumes in anticipation of delivering an upward of 800 packages between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. USPS has also announced that for an additional fee, it would make deliveries in select locations on Christmas Day.
Experts suggests that regardless of tariffs, our economy is still growing. Most likely, Christmas in 2019 will be better than last years. So, buckle up, logistics experts and providers! It’s going to be one bustling holiday season!
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