Around the holidays, shipping and logistics become trickier than usual. Between higher than average order volumes to arrange, anxious customers, and strained last-mile logistics chains, it’s no surprise that the last weeks before the end of the holiday season are so stressful.
That’s why it’s so important to communicate order deadlines to your customers. We’ve compiled below a list of some major couriers in the US, Canada, and UK, so you have an easy point of reference to go back to over the next couple of weeks.
However it isn’t just about what you do up until order deadlines that matters, but what you do afterwards. If you scroll through the shipping deadlines, we’ve also included some advice for what you should do after deadlines have passed.
Cut-off Dates
Please note that we’re only including services and dates which have not yet passed as of the date of publication (Wednesday 8th December). It’s worth checking in with your courier partners if you’re not already sure of your cut-off dates for shipping.
FedEx (US)
US Inland Services
- FedEx Home Delivery, FedEx Ground - Wednesday 15th December
- FedEx Express Saver, FedEx 3Day Freight - Tuesday 21st December
- FedEx 2Day - Wednesday 22nd December
- FedEx 1Day Freight, FedEx Extra Hours - Thursday 23rd December
- FedEx SameDay - Friday 24th December
US to Canada Services
- International Economy - Friday 17th December
- International Priority - Saturday 18th December
- International First - Thursday 23rd December
- International Next Flight - Friday 24th December
For other countries and regions such as the UK and Europe, please click here.
UPS (US)
US Inland Services
- Ground - Check the UPS website for a quote.
- 3-Day Select - Tuesday 21st December
- 2nd Day Air - Wednesday 22nd December
- Next Day Air - Thursday 23rd December
US to Canada Services
- Standard - Check the UPS website for a quote.
- Worldwide Expedited - Tuesday 21st December
- Worldwide Express - Thursday 23rd December
For other countries and regions, please check your local UPS portal.
USPS
US Inland Services
- Retail Ground - Wednesday 15th December
- First-Class Mail - Friday 17th December
- Priority Mail - Saturday 18th December
- Priority Mail Express - Thursday 23rd December
US to International Services
|
Region |
Priority Mail Express Intl |
Global Express Guaranteed |
|
Africa |
Monday 20th December |
|
|
Asia |
Monday 13th December |
Monday 20th December |
|
Australia/New Zealand |
Monday 13th December |
Monday 20th December |
|
Canada |
Monday 13th December |
Wednesday 22nd December |
|
Central/South America |
Monday 20th December |
|
|
Europe |
Monday 13th December |
Tuesday 21st December |
|
Mexico |
Monday 13th December |
Wednesday 22nd December |
|
Middle East |
Monday 13th December |
Monday 20th December |
Canada Post
Canada Inland Services
|
Priority |
Xpress Post |
Flat Rate Box |
Regular Parcel |
|
|
Local |
21st |
21st |
21st |
20th |
|
Regional |
21st |
21st |
17th |
15th |
|
National |
21st |
20th |
13th |
9th |
Canada to US Services
- Priority - Tuesday 21st December
- Xpress Post - Thursday 16th December
- Expedited Parcel - Monday 13th December
Canada to International Services
Priority Worldwide services cut-off between the 10th and 16th of December - please click here for further details.
DHL/Deutsche Post
- UK to Europe - Monday 13th December
- UK Inland Services - Tuesday 21st December
- Germany to Neighboring Countries - Wednesday 15th December
For additional services and regions, see the DHL website.
Royal Mail (UK)
UK Inland Services
- 2nd Class/Royal Mail 48 - Saturday 18th December
- 1st Class/Royal Mail 24 - Tuesday 21st December
- Tracked 24 - Wednesday 22nd December
- Special Delivery Guaranteed - Thursday 23rd December
International Services
- UK to USA/Canada - Monday 13th December
- UK to Eastern Europe - Saturday 11th December
- UK to Rest of Europe - Thursday 16th December
For a full list of services, countries and regions, please visit the Royal Mail website.
DPD (UK)
UK Inland Services
Thursday 23rd December
International Services
The cut off for most UK to Europe services is Thursday 16th December.
Click here for full details.
The cut off for most UK to Europe services is 16th to 20th December
UK to USA/Canada - 15th to 17th December
Click here for full details.
What to do in the days before your shipping deadline
Before we move on, we would recommend setting your deadline earlier than your courier partners’ cut-off dates. This ensures that you have plenty of time to pick, pack, and ship orders, without worrying about a sudden influx of orders that may not arrive on time. Even if the courier has stated it will arrive by a certain date, you don’t want to risk running into delays and customer orders arriving much later. You may lose out on a couple days of physical sales, but you’ll also improve the customer experience as you’ll save frustration for customers who may have encountered delays.
In the days before that cut-off date, you want to be as clear as possible with customers to let them know it’s their final chance to secure that perfect gift in time for the holidays.
-
Use all your communication channels to ensure that it’s crystal clear to any potential customers when they need to order by.
-
If you have different deadlines by region, then use email segmentation to target your most engaged customers, including gift ideas and personalized recommendations to capture their attention.
- Ramp up your automations for cart abandonment, letting those potential customers know that if they want to secure those baskets they need to order soon.
What to do after deadlines have passed
When order deadlines have passed, it comes time to think about what you’ll do to maximize the customer experience and continue your sales momentum.
Step #1 - Create a site banner
First and foremost, you need to communicate clearly to anyone visiting your site after deadlines that your cut-off date for delivery has passed. This can easily be achieved with a site banner, as this will follow the customer throughout your store leaving no room for ambiguity. Include when the next date for dispatch is, and a link through to any relevant FAQ information.
Step #2 - Promote gift cards
Did you know that 44% of last-minute holiday shoppers plan to buy gift cards? Gift cards offer customers a convenient solution to finding that perfect gift even when they can’t get a physical item in time. They’re also something you can easily promote and sell in the days after your shipping deadline has passed.
To promote gift cards, you should…
- Add them to your homepage as a hero image
- Add a primary navigation link
- Promote with email and social media campaigns
- Target Abandoned Carts with gift card emails
We recently published an article about promoting gift cards on your store - you can check that out here.
It’s important to remember that while some of your customers will opt instead to shop in-store, there will be a large majority who would prefer a quick and simple solution to their gifting needs. If they’re already engaged with your brand, and want to get a gift from your store for their intended recipient, a gift card is a great option especially if they’re unsure what to buy generally.
Step #3 - Utilize out-of-stock features
As customers purchase their last-minute gifts before deadlines, you’ll start to run into more out-of-stocks. If you’re using Govalo for your gift card experience, you’ll have access to our out-of-stock integration. This is an excellent tool during that period of the holiday season where you can’t ship more orders, but you don’t want to lose out on interest and sales.
In short, when a variant runs out in product inventory, your product page will instead offer the option to purchase a gift card.
Especially during the holidays, seeing an out-of-stock is bad for the customer experience. It acts as a sort of dead-end - they know even if they sign up for back-in-stock notifications, there’s no way it will arrive in time for the holidays. Therefore the option to purchase a gift card gives them a really great alternative, and you don’t lose out on a customer just because they were a bit late in making a purchase.