Managing UPS^® Shipping Prices for Expedited Delivery

With consumers now expecting fast and affordable shipping for all of their online purchases, it can be a challenge to keep up with expectations without hurting profit margins. After all, faster delivery speeds also mean higher UPS shipping prices!

Read on as Unishippers breaks down the basics of expedited shipping — and how to choose the right delivery speed for your business without breaking the bank.

What is expedited parcel shipping?

Expedited (or "express") shipping is considered any delivery speed that is faster than the carrier’s standard service. In essence, it’s all about getting your package delivered faster than normal.

While the term varies between carriers, it tends to refer to 2- or 3-day shipping (and faster) for domestic deliveries. UPS offers a number of expedited options to meet your unique needs and price point, including:

• UPS Next Day Air^® Early
• UPS Next Day Air^®
• UPS Next Day Air Saver^®
• UPS 2nd Day Air^® A.M.
• UPS 2nd Day Air^®
• UPS 3 Day Select^®

Download our helpful tip sheet and learn which delivery speed is right for your business.

When to expedite your parcel shipping

Before you start paying for expedited services, make sure you get a shipping analysis to fully leverage your options. With UPS now offering its fastest ground delivery service ever — which gets shipments to most locations up to one business day faster — standard ground shipping may fit your timelines.

Perishables and essential items that need to be delivered quickly can benefit from expedited shipping — and e-commerce businesses often utilize this service for their customers. Why? Consider these statistics:

• About 22% of U.S. consumers have abandoned their shopping carts due to long delivery times.¹
• 28.4% choose to shop online primarily for next-day delivery options.
• Roughly 60% of shoppers have opted to pay extra for faster delivery, with over two-thirds of them specifically paying more for next-day service.

Minimizing UPS shipping costs when expediting

Shipping expedited orders will obviously raise your UPS shipping prices — but that doesn’t mean it has to negatively impact your bottom line! Consider these tips for making your urgent deliveries more affordable:

• Ship from multiple fulfillment centers. The further a package has to travel, the higher its UPS shipping rate will be. By distributing inventory to multiple warehouses or fulfillment centers across your network, you can reach customers more quickly — meaning you can choose more affordable expedited delivery speeds for your shipments.
• Establish a minimum order value. Give your online customers a choice between fast and free shipping by requiring them to meet a minimum spend threshold in order to qualify for free expedited shipping. This allows customers to still receive free shipping on standard deliveries, while offering an incentive for those who need their shipment delivered faster.
• Partner with a third-party logistics (3PL) provider. By leveraging the combined shipping volume of their customers, 3PLs are able to obtain the most competitive small package rates for all of their business shippers. This means that you can get access to discounted rates on your expedited shipping and beyond. Plus, with the help of a 3PL’s transportation management system (TMS), you can easily compare shipping speeds and associated rates from one convenient platform.

Ready to start shipping? As part of the nation's largest non-retail Authorized Reseller of UPS services, Unishippers is sure to offer expedited UPS shipping prices that fit your budget. Get a quote today to get started!

¹ Shopify (2022). What Is Expedited Shipping and Is It Worth It for Ecommerce?