As the days get shorter and the nights get cooler, there is one thing that inevitably begins to take over retail operations… and that’s planning for the holidays. As online sellers in particular, it’s important to consider how shipping can help or hurt your business this upcoming holiday season. If you’re not ready for the shipping rush that will soon take over both the streets and skies alike in the months ahead, your business risks not only late, damaged or even lost deliveries – but also lost money.

Keeping the above in mind, consider the below holiday shipping tips to help your business thrive despite the hustle and bustle that will impact retailers, customers and shippers this holiday season.

#1: Understand Variations in Shipping Fees, Delivery Times & More 

Popular carriers UPS and FedEx each provide detailed updates to the changes in their shipping guidelines for the holidays. These are important for online sellers to consider, particularly as you factor in meeting customer expectations for shipment arrivals and the variations that often impact shipping fees.

Some of the key details to keep in mind include:

• Both UPS and FedEx apply peak surcharges during the holidays that will impact your bottom line, though each takes different approaches.
• Some zip codes do not qualify for Saturday deliveries depending on the shipping carrier.
• FedEx and UPS will not apply additional residential surcharges during the holiday season.