The e-commerce boom has fundamentally reshaped consumer expectations for fast and convenient delivery. Whereas shoppers were once content to wait 5-7 business days for their online orders, the "Amazon effect" has made 1-2 day shipping the new normal. This shift has put immense pressure on retailers and shipping carriers to speed up delivery times. One way they have adapted is by expanding operations to include weekend delivery, particularly on Saturdays.
UPS, the world‘s largest shipping carrier, has been at the forefront of this trend. Over the past decade, Big Brown has steadily ramped up its Saturday delivery services. What started as a niche offering available in a handful of cities has expanded to become a core service with broad coverage.
In this article, we‘ll dive deep into the world of UPS Saturday delivery. We‘ll examine how it works, what it costs, where it‘s available, and how businesses and consumers can make the most of this premium delivery option.
The History of UPS Saturday Delivery
UPS first experimented with Saturday delivery back in the early 2000s. At that time, the service was only available for premium express shipments within a few dozen major U.S. metro areas. There was little to no Saturday service for regular ground shipments.
Things started to change in the 2010s as e-commerce sales exploded. The growth of online shopping put pressure on UPS to speed up its residential delivery services. In April 2013, UPS took a major step in that direction by launching Saturday ground delivery to 122 metro areas covering over 87% of the U.S. population.
Over the next few years, UPS continued to aggressively expand its Saturday ground service to more cities and zip codes. By 2018, coverage had reached over 90% of the U.S. population. In 2019, UPS hit another milestone by beginning to automatically include Saturday delivery in its ground service to major markets at no extra cost.
Here‘s a timeline of key milestones in UPS‘s rollout of Saturday delivery:
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2003 | Saturday delivery available for express shipments in select markets |
| 2013 | Saturday ground delivery launches to 122 metro areas |
| 2016 | Saturday ground delivery reaches 4,700 U.S. cities and towns |
| 2017 | Saturday ground covers 50% of U.S. population |
| 2018 | Saturday ground reaches over 90% of U.S. population |
| 2019 | Saturday ground included at no extra cost to major markets |
| 2020 | Expanded Saturday service to support pandemic e-commerce boom |
Today, UPS Saturday delivery is widely available across the U.S. for both express and ground shipments. It has become a core part of the carrier‘s suite of services. Let‘s take a closer look at how it works.
How UPS Saturday Delivery Works
So what actually happens behind the scenes to enable UPS to deliver packages on Saturdays? It‘s a complex operation that involves the coordination of planes, trucks, sorting facilities, and thousands of employees.
Here‘s a simplified overview of how a package might flow through the UPS network for Saturday ground delivery:
- A customer places an order with a retailer on Thursday that includes Saturday delivery
- The retailer tenders the package to UPS at its warehouse by Friday, typically before 6:00 pm
- The package is picked up by UPS and brought to a sorting facility on Friday night
- At the sorting facility, the package is scanned, processed and routed for Saturday delivery
- In the early hours of Saturday morning, the package is loaded onto a truck for local delivery
- The UPS driver delivers the package to the customer‘s address by end of day Saturday
Of course, the actual process is much more complicated. It requires precise coordination and timing across UPS‘s vast shipping and logistics network. Packages often move between multiple sorting hubs and trucks before reaching their final destination.
To support Saturday operations, UPS runs many of its sorting and processing facilities 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It also has to adjust delivery driver schedules and routes to accommodate the extra workday. This requires careful planning to ensure there are enough drivers and package volume to justify the added labor costs.
The Business Impact of Saturday Delivery
For e-commerce retailers, offering Saturday delivery can have a big impact on sales and customer loyalty. Online shoppers have come to expect weekend delivery options, especially for urgent or high-value purchases.
A 2021 survey by Convey found that 47% of online shoppers consider an estimated delivery date as a key factor when deciding to complete a purchase. Of those who abandoned an order due to delivery timing, 64% did so because the estimated delivery date was too far out.
By compressing the order-to-delivery window from 5 business days to 2, Saturday delivery can drive major improvements in conversion rates. A 2022 holiday survey by Deloitte projected that retailers could increase e-commerce conversions by 5.9% during Cyber 5 by offering Saturday delivery options.
The benefits aren‘t just limited to B2C retailers either. Many B2B buyers are also looking for faster shipping options to reduce inventory carrying costs and support just-in-time production. In fact, a 2020 UPS survey found that 67% of industrial buyers would consider switching to a new supplier if offered faster delivery options.
By leveraging UPS Saturday delivery, businesses can gain a competitive edge, reduce shopping cart abandonment, and increase customer satisfaction. Of course, it does come at a cost.
UPS Saturday Delivery Pricing
While UPS has expanded the availability of Saturday delivery, it still charges a premium for this service level. For ground shipments, there is typically no extra cost for Saturday delivery to high-volume urban ZIP codes. However, businesses may incur an added cost for delivery to lower density suburban and rural areas.
For air shipments with a 1-2 day service level, UPS assesses a flat $16 per package Saturday delivery fee. Additional charges like fuel surcharges and extended area surcharges may apply as well. This can quickly add up for high-volume shippers.
Here‘s a comparison of how UPS, FedEx and USPS structure their Saturday delivery fees for domestic shipments:
| Carrier | Service | Saturday Delivery Fee |
|---|---|---|
| UPS | Next Day Air | $16 per package |
| UPS | 2nd Day Air | $16 per package |
| UPS | Ground (high volume urban ZIPs) | Included |
| FedEx | First Overnight | $16 per package |
| FedEx | Priority Overnight | $16 per package |
| FedEx | 2Day | $16 per package |
| USPS | Priority Mail Express | $12.50 per package |
As you can see, UPS charges slightly higher fees than FedEx for air services with Saturday delivery. However, UPS includes Saturday ground delivery at no extra charge to more ZIP codes.
Ultimately, whether these added costs make sense for a business to absorb depends on many factors such as average order value, customer lifetime value, and profit margins. Many retailers choose to offer Saturday delivery as a premium option at checkout and pass some or all of the added fees onto the customer.
Expert Tips for Optimizing Saturday Delivery
So what can businesses do to get the most out of UPS Saturday delivery without blowing their shipping budgets? Here are a few expert tips:
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Analyze your order mix – Look at historical data to understand what percentage of your orders are being requested with express shipping options. This will help you forecast demand for Saturday delivery and optimize your shipping strategy.
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Focus on high-value items – Consider limiting Saturday delivery to only your most important SKUs or product categories. This could include items with high profit margins, bestsellers, seasonal goods, or luxury products where customers are more willing to pay for premium shipping.
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Offer it selectively – You don‘t have to provide blanket Saturday delivery on all orders. Use business rules to selectively rate shop and steer volume to UPS for Saturday delivery when needed to meet customer expectations. Otherwise, rely on cheaper weekday ground services to keep costs down.
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Adjust fulfillment cut-offs – To meet UPS‘s Friday pickup cut-offs for Saturday delivery, you may need to adjust your fulfillment operations. Consider implementing an earlier order cut-off time for Saturday delivery requests or exploring later pickups from UPS.
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Leverage automation – Use transportation management systems and automation platforms to dynamically rate shop, determine optimal service levels, and print labels based on order characteristics and promised delivery dates. This will allow you to automatically funnel Saturday volumes to UPS.
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Improve inventory planning – Better demand forecasting and smarter inventory allocation across warehouses can help reduce reliance on expedited delivery options to meet promised delivery dates. With the right product in the right place, more orders can go out via cheaper ground services while still arriving on time.
The Future of Weekend Delivery
The trend lines are clear – e-commerce sales are expected to continuing growing rapidly over the next decade and customer expectations for fast, flexible delivery will only rise. Boston Consulting Group projects that same-day and next-day delivery will account for 15% of the $1.5 trillion U.S. market for retail logistics by 2028.
To stay ahead of this demand, UPS will undoubtedly keep investing in its Saturday delivery capabilities. The carrier has already signaled plans to further expand Saturday service coverage, extend pickup and delivery windows, and potentially introduce Sunday service in select markets.
However, it will face stiff competition in the market for weekend delivery. FedEx has been rapidly expanding its own Saturday operations and now reaches over 95% of the U.S. population. The rise of regional carriers and crowdsourced delivery platforms like Uber, Instacart and DoorDash are also shaking up the last mile delivery landscape.
Still, UPS remains the dominant player in U.S. package delivery and its unmatched scale, network density, and operational expertise position it well to capitalize on the weekend delivery opportunity in the years ahead. As more and more retailers shift to 6 and 7-day order fulfillment, UPS Saturday delivery volumes will likely boom.
The Bottom Line
UPS Saturday delivery has become an increasingly important service for e-commerce businesses looking to meet customer demands for faster, more flexible shipping options. While it does come at a cost, for many sellers the added sales and customer loyalty gains more than justify the investment.
As a retail or e-commerce leader, it‘s critical to stay on top of these fast moving shipping trends. Conduct a thorough analysis of your shipping data, customer needs, and profitability to determine the right Saturday delivery strategy for your business. With smart planning and the right 3PL partnerships, Saturday delivery can become a powerful competitive differentiator.
At the end of the day, the goal is to find the optimal balance between delivery speed, flexibility and cost based on your unique business needs. In this equation, UPS Saturday delivery is becoming an increasingly valuable tool in the logistics toolbox – one that every shipper needs to consider.
