Google-Ware2Go feature

Ware2Go, Google Fast-Free Shipping Offers Aim at Conversion Lift

| Mike O'Brien

Ware2Go, a UPS-owned provider of fulfillment on demand through partnership with warehouse owners, via an integration with Google Shopping, lets merchants offer free shipping early in the search and discovery process on Google, aimed at increasing conversion. Ware2Go handles fulfillment through its partner network.

Mitigating Hefty New Parcel Shipping Surcharges this Holiday Season

| Jennifer Doles

Parcel shipping services will be in high demand for peak holiday season as more consumers are shopping online in the midst of COVID. And a new wave of peak surcharges from major carriers poses a significant burden for ecommerce shippers – and they’ve already hit. Here are ways to mitigate the costs coming into peak season.

FedEx ground stepvan

FedEx Adds Peak Surcharge, Joining UPS and USPS

| Mike O'Brien

FedEx as expected added peak surcharge fees onto its pricing schedule for an expected blowout peak holiday season this year, adding up to $2 per package for the SmartPost final mile service and up to $5 per package for the next-day Express service. UPS and the U.S. Postal Service have already announced their peak pricing.

USPS delivery vans

USPS Calling for First-Time Peak Season Surcharges on Parcels

| Mike O'Brien

The U.S. Post Office is taking the unprecedented step of seeking a peak surcharge in anticipation of huge holiday demand for ecommerce parcel shipping. If approved the increases would take effect from Oct. 18 to Dec. 27, ranging from an additional 24 cents to $1.50 more per package, across all its products.

UPS logo on truck feature

UPS Rocks Q2, With Average Daily Volume Up a Record 22.8%

| Mike O'Brien

A few weeks ago, analysts predicted FedEx’s strong Q4 results were a preview of coming attractions for when UPS reported. They weren’t wrong. UPS reported a record 22.8% surge in average daily shipping volume in Q2, fueled by massive ecommerce growth, and a 65% increase in shipments to consumers, nearly 70% of total volume.

USPS letter carrier

USPS: Laying Down the Law; $10B Loan Approved; New Loyalty Program

| Mike O'Brien

USPS Postmaster General Louis DeJoy doubled down on the need for greater efficiency and performance, while enacting new measures. Also, the USPS reached an agreement in principle to receive a $10 billion loan from the U.S. Department of the Treasury under the CARES act, and created for the first time a loyalty program.

FedEx robot sort arm

FedEx Express Adds Robotic Arms to Help Handle Ecommerce Surge

| Mike O'Brien

This month, FedEx Express installed four robotic arms inside a sortation hub in its hometown of Memphis, in response to demands placed on its services in the midst of the massive pandemic-influenced surge in ecommerce orders. Yaskawa America supplied the robotic arms and Plus One provided the software system.

MCM CommerceChat podcast

How Will USPS Policy Changes Impact Shippers and the Agency Itself?

| Mike O'Brien

What do major changes at USPS mean for thousands of businesses that rely on it daily for parcel delivery, as well as giants like UPS, FedEx and Amazon? How will these changes affect SLAs and CSAT? We discuss these issues with Cathy Roberson, founder and president of Logistics Trends and Insights on our latest MCM podcast.

FedEx Beats Q4 Expectations, Driven by Massive Surge in Ecommerce

| Mike O'Brien

FedEx surprised to the upside in Q4, its laser focus on ecommerce capabilities in recent years paying off in terms of responsiveness to massive online buying, even as service stumbles were reported in a couple states. It seemed none the worse for having parted ways with Amazon in 2019 to seek more profitable customer relationships.

FedEx logo feature

FedEx Follows Suit with COVID-19-Related Peak Surcharges for Shippers

| Mike O'Brien

It took FedEx less than a week to react to UPS’s new COVID-19-related peak surcharges by rolling out its own new fee schedule to cover additional volume-related costs, with a couple wrinkles separating the two plans and no end date specified, again impacting large-volume shippers. The new charges went into effect June 8, with no end date.