Tips To Help Your Business Save Money During The Holidays (NAPSA)—Thisholiday season, U.S. retail sales are predicted to grow 5.7 percent compared to last year, potentially hitting $885 billion. Here are a few tips to help you prepare your business, maximize your shipping operations and save money. KnowYourStrategy The right shipping mix can have a big impact on your company’s bottom line during the holiday selling season. Weigh your carrier options, and find the services that work for you. Keep in mind that this is the first holiday season that FedEx and UPSwill be applying dimensional weight pricing for all Ground shipments. So, shipping large, lightweight packages via FedEx and UPS could be more expensive this year. Also, don’t forget about surcharges—effective Nov. 2, FedEx will be increasing fuel surcharges for Ground and Express shipments, while UPS will increase surcharges for Ground, Air and International shipments. Consider adding the U.S. Postal Service to your shipping mix, which is an affordable option for smaller, lightweight packages. Note Shipping Deadlines Each shipping carrier has its own year-end holiday schedule for package pickup anddelivery. Keep track of shipping dates and deadlines to ensure that your cus- tomers’ gifts arrive in time. The U.S. Postal Service’s Priority Mail can be a good option for sending items to last-minute holiday shoppers who need products shipped domestically. Packages typically arrive in one to three business days. Offer Hassle-free Returns A seamless returns process will keep your customers happy well USPS 2015 Holiday Shipping Cutoff Dates Standard Post First-Class Mail Priority Mail Priority Mail Express* Dec. Dec. Dec. Dec. 15 19 21 23 *Priority Mail Express postage refund eligibility is adjusted for shipments mailed Dec. 22-25. USPS 2015 Holiday Shipping Cut- off Dates. after the holidays. According to comScore, 67 percent of shoppers review a retailer’s return policy before purchasing, and 47 percent say they want an easy-to-print return label. An easy and affordable way to give customers just that is Endicia’s Pay-on-Use Returns”service. With Pay-on-Use Returns, businesses can include a domestic return label in their outbound shipments or provide one on demand via e-mail. Postage for the Pay-on-Use Returns label is paid only if and when the return shipping label is used. That means businesses don’t have to worry about a large outlay of money in prepaid labels during the holiday season. “While the holiday season can be tough, it is also a great time for businesses to attract new and returning customers and increase revenues,” said Endicia CTO and co-founder Harry Whitehouse. “Having a pre-holiday shipping plan in place can play a major role in a company’s bottom line.” Learn More For a complete list of USPS 2015 holiday shipping deadlines, visit www.endicia.com/usps/2015holiday-shipping-deadlines.
