On Tuesday, July 23, 2019, UPS announced the most extensive roll-out of new customer services and capabilities in the company’s recent history. The new solutions are geared towards the small and medium sized businesses (SMBs), e-commerce, international countries and healthcare and life sciences.
UPS My Choice for Business
- Available July 29
- Allows customers to easily monitor, plan and control deliveries and outgoing shipments.
- Features include a web-based dashboard and advanced delivery notifications.
UPS Extended Hours Pickup for Next Day Ground Delivery
- UPS now enables customers to tender shipments later for next-day Ground delivery in cities with about 85% of the U.S. population.
- This service is currently available by contract.
Seven-Day Delivery
- Available January 1, 2020
- Offers customers pickup and delivery services seven days per week.
- Currently, UPS offers 6-day pickup & deliveries.
- The 7-day operation will allow shippers to reach consumers faster with the products ordered over the weekend.
- This directly matches FedEx’s same announcement from May 30, 2019.
UPS Access Point Locations increase by 12,000 to total 21,000 in the U.S. and 40,000 globally.
- UPS will partner with CVS Pharmacy, Michaels and Advance Auto Parts.
- This supports UPS’s strategic e-commerce target market.
- UPS will add services to 8,000 CVS stores, 1,100 Michaels Craft stores, and an undisclosed amount in Advance Auto Parts stores.
- UPS states more than 90% of U.S. consumers will find a UPS Access Point location within five miles of home.
- At a UPS Access Point location, customers will be able to retrieve their packages, print out labels and drop off returns.
- In contrast, FedEx has partnered with Walgreens, Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons, Shaws, Star Market, Safeway, Randalls, Jewel-Osco, Fred Meyer and Vons. Amazon has partnered with Kohl’s, but only for returns.
Worldwide Economy Product
- UPS Worldwide Economy is a new deferred service designed to provide affordable and efficient international shipping options.
- The offering will be available to UPS customers in the U.S., Canada, China, Hong Kong and the U.K. to start, with additional markets added in the near future.
UPS Flight Forward, Inc.
- This is UPS’s new drone operations subsidiary.
- UPS is currently using drones for healthcare deliveries of medical samples at WakeMed hospitals in Raleigh, NC.
- UPS has filed for certification from the FAA, which will allow for approved flight operations beyond line of sight, at night and with an unlimited number of drones and operators in command. This certification will also allow UPS to expand drone services to several other U.S. healthcare networks.