There is nothing small about your business. You are on the go and on the move, and shipping packages should be the least of your worries. That’s why, in addition to great shipping rates, UPS with Stamps.com offers thousands of easy drop-off points for your packages.
With over 60,000 drop-off locations within the U.S., you’re sure to find a location that works best for you. Here are a few helpful hints to help you along the way:
Dropping off a few packages? UPS Drop Boxes accept ground, air, and international packages and are conveniently found throughout the U.S.
If you have multiple packages, you can drop them off at one of the thousands of UPS Access Point® locations, including The UPS Store®, grocers and convenience stores near you, in addition to trusted retail locations like Michaels, CVS or Advanced Auto Parts. 92% of the U.S. population will live within 5 miles of a UPS Access Point location by the end of 2020.
Did you know? You can drop off USPS and UPS packages at The UPS Store! One convenient stop to handle all your shipping needs
What about pickup options?
You can hand your packages directly to UPS driver whenever they deliver to you!
Schedule an on-call pickup on Stamps.com for $4.00. With discounted rates*, this option is affordable and convenient for days when dropping off packages just doesn’t work for you.
UPS makes it easy for you to drop off or pick up packages so you can keep growing your business!
How to Add UPS Shipping to Your Stamps.com Account
Adding UPS to your Stamps.com account couldn’t be easier. Go to “Settings” in your Stamps.com account, select “Add a Carrier” and select “UPS.” Once you activate your account, you’ll be ready to ship and take advantage of all the benefits of UPS through Stamps.com.
* Rates and any applicable discounts are subject to change at any time without notice.
Every year small businesses across the U.S. look forward to one of the fastest-growing retail holidays, Small Business Saturday. Falling on the last Saturday of November, November 28th this year, Small Business Saturday gives independent retailers a chance to promote their businesses and reach out to eager holiday shoppers. Last year, American shoppers spent nearly $20 billion at independent retailers and restaurants on Small Business Saturday. With many small businesses facing hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s holiday could have more of an impact than ever.
Here are a few tips to help your online business maximize the holiday:
1. Get your business listed on the American Express Shop Small Online Directory
Getting in front of more customers is always a good thing, especially when it’s free. If your business accepts American Express, it may be eligible for a listing on the American Express Shop Small Online Directory. This directory is specifically for business without a physical presence—it allows online shoppers to easily see deals and services they can take advantage of with their American Express card. In your directory listing you can provide key details about your business and even spotlight specific offers.
If your business uses a third-party payment aggregator, the criteria for creating a directory listing gets a little complicated. Businesses that fall into this category will need to provide additional information and my not be eligible for a listing.
2. Create a Pop-up Store in an existing business
The barrier to entry for brick-and-mortar business is high, leading many businesses to exclusively sell online. Pop-up stores give online businesses the opportunity to connect with shoppers in person without the hassle opening a permanent physical location. By connection with an existing brick-and-mortar store you can bring your products to a whole new audience and build brand awareness. Pop-ups don’t only benefit the guest business; owners can see a bid increase in store traffic with a whole new line of products in their store.
3. Take advantage of social media
In 2020, it’s hard to deny the impact of social media on retail trends, but you’d be surprised how many businesses underutilize social media to promote their products. Whether it be Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, or Reddit, each and every one of your post is a chance to communicate your brand with customers. Your customers should know that you plan to participate in Small Business Saturday. Find ways to build excitement about your products, brand, and special offers.
Additionally, always remember hashtags can be a business’s best friend; sales and deals can be promoted using #SmallBusinessSaturday, #SmallShop, and #SmallBizSat. These hashtags will help new shoppers connect with your business. With a variety of small businesses participating nationwide, you may even find inspiration for your promotions by exploring these hashtags.
4. Try to convert new customers into loyal customers
Small Business Saturday is your chance to put your online store in front of new customers—and hopefully convert them into loyal customers. It’s important that you put your best foot forward and give the customer a reason to come back. Make sure that you have the bandwidth to ensure a great online experience for your customers. This means you must be able to provide top-notch customer support at all stages of the customers experience. Whether the customer has questions about a product, shipping status, or returns, they should have a means to contact your business and get assistance. Customer support is especially important during the holiday season when many shoppers are in a rush and don’t have time to be bogged down by a poor experience.
For more information about Small Business Saturday and how your business can participate visit the American Express Shop Small page.
The term “Cyber Monday” – the first Monday after Black Friday – was first used in 2005 as a way to promote online holiday shopping. It has since become the biggest online shopping day of the year. This year, Cyber Monday is predicted to bring in $12.7 billion in sales, up 35% from last year. In fact, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is expected that 9% of all holiday shoppers will be making their first online purchase this year.
Here are four tips to increase revenue on Cyber Monday.
1. Bring Customers to Your Site and Make Your Cyber Monday Promotions Visible
Just because people visit your site on Cyber Monday, it doesn’t mean they know what your sales and promotions are. It’s up to you to let them know. You can make them visible and clear on your homepage with a banner that announces special deals. Tell your customers about your best sales and what they need to know about them. You can also get their attention with a modal or pop-up window. Some online retailers send an email or newsletter to all of their existing customers around Thanksgiving Day, letting them know about upcoming deals. This can be followed up with a second volley on Cyber Monday morning.
2. Create Product Bundles
Promotion of products in bundles is a strategy often overlooked by online retailers, but it can be a great selling method for a number of reasons: 1) improved customer experience, 2) increased average order value, and 3) personalized sales and deals. Bundling also helps you get rid of dead stock because pairing unwanted items with your most popular products makes them seem more desirable. Remember that customers are more likely to purchase bundles if you group products that are often bought together. And if you combine a low-ticket item with a high-ticket item, the cost won’t be much more than the high-ticket item by itself, so customers will feel like they’re getting a real deal. Be sure to highlight the cost savings of buying bundled products.
3. Create Quick Lists of Products by Price Point
When holiday shoppers embark on a shopping expedition, they already have an idea of how much they want to spend on gifts. In fact, price is often among the top criteria as they browse through various products. You can make it easy by creating a gift guide that organizes products according to price – group items for $10, $25, $50, etc. Use your analytics data to find common sales data points. When customers can shop this way, they’ll be more likely to stay on your site to see what else is available within a certain price range.
4. Add an AI Chatbot to your Site to Assist With Customer Support
You might have more visits to your site on Cyber Monday than any other day of the year. That requires a lot of customer support. While your FAQ section will likely take care of most inquiries and concerns, an AI chatbot can be added for the harder questions. Chatbots are cheap, easy to install, answer customers’ questions in real-time, and work 24/7 without a single break. So when shoppers hit your site at 3 a.m. and want immediate answers, you can give them the support and information they want; any delay could mean losing a sale. If you can predict questions and script answers, you’ve got a chatbot that is a fast and efficient part of your customer support team.
The message is clear: This could be the best Cyber Monday ever for online sellers, and they should prepare for a lot of traffic to their sites.
UPS has announced its 2020 shipping deadlines to ensure parcel delivery by December 25th. With online retail sales expected to nearly double in 2020 compared to the 2019 holiday season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s more important than ever to make sure your order fulfillment is ready to meet customer expectations:
Be sure to ship your packages by these deadlines when using UPS shipping for your parcel delivery this holiday season.
1 Shipments to certain destinations may require an earlier ship date. Check www.ups.com/ctc for details.
UPS Pickup and Delivery Service Details for 2020 Peak Period
Wednesday, Nov. 25 Normal pickup and delivery service. All UPS Next Day Air® packages picked up today will be scheduled for delivery on Friday, Nov. 27. UPS 2nd Day Air® packages picked up today will be scheduled for delivery on Monday, Nov. 30 (except those processed and labeled for delivery on Saturday, Nov. 28).
Thursday, Nov. 26 – Thanksgiving Day (UPS Holiday) No UPS® pickup or delivery service. UPS Express Critical® is available. Call 1-800-714-8779 or visit upsexpresscritical.com.
Friday, Nov. 27 Normal pickup and delivery service.
Monday, Dec. 21 Normal pickup and delivery service. This is the last day to ship UPS 3 Day Select packages for delivery on Thursday, Dec. 24. 2
Tuesday, Dec. 22 Normal pickup and delivery service. This is the last day to ship UPS 2nd Day Air packages for delivery on Thursday, Dec. 24. 2
Wednesday, Dec. 23 Normal pickup and delivery service. This is the last day to ship UPS Next Day Air® packages for delivery on Thursday, Dec. 24 with a UPS On-Call Pickup® service or prearranged, scheduled pickup, or by visiting a The UPS Store® location or a UPS Authorized Service Location.
Thursday, Dec. 24, Christmas Eve Normal delivery service. Pickup service available only for Air and international Air* packages if prearranged by Monday, Dec. 21. UPS On-Call Pickup service and UPS Drop Boxes are available for Air and international Air packages. UPS Next Day Air packages picked up today will be scheduled for delivery on Monday, Dec. 28 (except those processed and labeled for delivery on Saturday, Dec. 26).
Friday, Dec. 25, Christmas Day (UPS Holiday) No UPS pickup or delivery service. UPS Express Critical service is available. Call 1-800-714-8779 or visit upsexpresscritical.com.
Saturday, Dec. 26 Normal pickup and delivery service for Air and international Air* services only.
Monday, Dec. 28 Normal pickup and delivery service.
Tuesday, Dec. 29 Normal pickup and delivery service.
Wednesday, Dec. 30 Normal pickup and delivery service. UPS Next Day Air packages picked up today will be scheduled for delivery on Thursday, Dec. 31. UPS 2nd Day Air packages picked up today will be scheduled for delivery on Monday, Jan. 4 (except those processed and labeled for delivery on Saturday, Jan. 2). UPS 3 Day Select packages picked up today will be scheduled for delivery on Wednesday, Jan. 6.
Thursday, Dec. 31 Delivery of UPS Air and international Air* packages only. Pickup service available only for Air and international Air* if prearranged by Tuesday, Dec. 29. UPS On-Call Pickup service and UPS Drop Boxes available for Air and international Air* packages. UPS Next Day Air packages picked up today will be scheduled for delivery on Monday, Jan. 4 (except those processed and labeled for delivery on Saturday, Jan. 2).
Friday, Jan. 1, New Year’s Day (UPS Holiday) No UPS pickup or delivery service. UPS Express Critical service is available. Saturday, Jan. 2 Normal pickup and delivery service for Air and international Air* services only
2 Shipments to certain destinations may require an earlier ship date. Check www.ups.com/ctc for the most up-to-date transit times.
* References to “UPS Air and international Air” packages include UPS Next Day® Early, UPS Next Day Air®, UPS Next Day Saver®, UPS 2nd Day Air A.M.®, UPS 2nd Day Air®, UPS Worldwide Express Plus®, UPS Worldwide Express®, UPS Worldwide Saver®, UPS Worldwide Expedited®, and UPS Worldwide Express Freight®. Visit ups.com for the UPS Tariff/Terms and Conditions. The information contained in this schedule and all service guarantees are subject to change. Packages exceeding UPS weight or size requirements are not accepted for transportation.
The holiday season is, for many, the most important sales period of the year. Small and medium-sized businesses will be pressured to cut prices to remain competitive with larger companies.
Together, UPS and Stamps.com, have helped thousands of SMBs that have pivoted to an e-commerce model or increased their online presence. When you create a UPS account within Stamps.com, many common surcharges are waived saving you even more money!
Eliminated UPS Fees & Surcharges for Stamps.com Customers
Discounted UPS Fees & Surcharges
Fuel Surcharges
Delivery Area Air & Residential Surcharges
Ground Residential Surcharge
Addition Handling Fees
Delivery Area Rural Ground Commercial Surcharge
Large Package Fees
Delivery Area Rural Ground Residential Surcharge
Daily On-Route Pickup Fees
Residential Pickup Surcharge
Smart Pickup Fees
Residential Pickup Area Surcharge
On Call Pickup Fees
Return Label Surcharge (Print & Electronic)
How to Add UPS Shipping to Your Stamps.com Account
Adding UPS to your Stamps.com account couldn’t be easier. Go to “Settings” in your Stamps.com account, select “Add a Carrier” and select “UPS.” Once you activate your account, you’ll be ready to ship and take advantage of all the benefits of UPS through Stamps.com.
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The content on this blog is "as is" and carries no warranties. Stamps.com does not warrant or guarantee the accuracy, reliability, completeness, usefulness, or quality of any content on the blogs, regardless of who originates that content.
