FedEx, UPS improve holiday shipping performance
NEW YORK – Christmas came on time this year for most people.
After FedEx and UPS failed to deliver some presents in time for Christmas last year, the two package carriers improved their performance this holiday season.
FedEx delivered more than 99 percent of express packages as promised on Dec. 22 and Dec. 23, according to shipment tracker ShipMatrix. UPS delivered 99 percent of express packages as promised on those days.
Last year, the percentage of express packages delivered on time those days was in the “low 90s,” said Mark D’Amico, a spokesman for ShipMatrix.
The firm did not have data for Christmas Eve deliveries as of Friday. It also does not track packages that are sent using ground shipping, since those are not guaranteed to be delivered within a set time in the weeks before Christmas.
The improved performance comes after delays by FedEx and UPS last year were blamed on a mix of bad weather and overloaded systems, with more people shopping online. Neither company disclosed exactly how many packages were delayed a year ago, but said they represented a small share of overall holiday shipments.
To avoid similar headaches this year, FedEx and UPS invested in improving their systems and increased the number of seasonal workers they hired.
FedEx said Friday it was “proud” of its performance this season and UPS said its operations ran smoothly, “demonstrating the value of our additional investments in capacity and technology.” Neither company provided details on how many deliveries were delayed or actually delivered this year.
The big shipping season did have some hiccups. Package carriers say they work with retailers to help avoid problems, but shipments from retailers continued to experience some problems, according to two reports.
The consulting firm Kurt Salmon analyzed 93 orders and said 13 percent didn’t make it to shoppers in time for Christmas, a slight improvement from 15 percent last year. The firm said retailers were to blame for all this year’s delays, with reasons including inventory issues and a failure of retailers to select guaranteed shipping methods – even though they promised deliveries would be made by a certain date.
In some cases, Kurt Salmon said, retailers may have underestimated how many packages it told shippers they expected to process for the holidays.
StellaService, a customer service tracker, also said it placed orders with 40 major retailers to different regions of the country. Of the 160 total orders it placed by the cutoff dates for delivery by Christmas, it said 10 did not arrive in time. One order placed with Staples was canceled without notification. A representative for Staples did not immediately respond to a request for comment.