As the holiday season approaches, it’s time to finalize your shipping calendar — if you haven’t already. Shipping may not be the first thing you want to think about, but 96% of customers factor shipping into their online shopping purchase decisions. What’s even more shocking is 88% of customers say negative shipping experiences make them less likely to purchase from that merchant in the future. When it comes to perfecting your shipping strategy, timing is key. Particularly for the high percentage of holiday customers who wait until the last 10 days to buy gifts. Luckily, ShipStation has compiled the shipping deadlines you need to remember for the holidays.
USPS HOLIDAY SHIPPING DEADLINES IN THE US
| Service | Shipping Cutoff Date |
| Retail Ground™ | Saturday, December 14th |
| First Class Mail® | Friday, December 20th |
| Priority Mail® | Saturday, December 21st |
| Priority Mail Express® | Monday, December 23rd |
FEDEX HOLIDAY SHIPPING DEADLINES IN THE US
| Service | Shipping Cutoff Date |
| FedEx SmartPost® | Monday, December 9th |
| FedEx Ground® | Monday, December 16th |
| Home Delivery® | Monday, December 16th |
| Express Saver® | Thursday, December 19th |
| 2Day® Services | Friday, December 20th |
| Overnight® Services | Monday, December 23rd |
UPS HOLIDAY SHIPPING DEADLINES IN THE US
| Service | Shipping Cutoff Date |
| Ground® | Friday, December 13th |
| 3 Day Select® | Thursday, December 19th |
| 2nd Day Air® Services | Friday, December 20th |
| Next Day Air® Services | Monday, December 23rd |
The infographic below with all of the dates on one timeline.
Now that you have the cutoff dates, you can build your own shipping timeline to get products to customers on time. Providing a good experience can make the difference between a repeat customer or someone going to a brick-and-mortar competitor.
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Blog post by James Messer at ShipStation.
