UPS has unveiled a pioneering service under the name ‘UPS My Choice’ enabling US consumers tohave more say in when and where their parcels are delivered to them.
The new service, which will be available from October 3 onwards, is a subscription-based premiumoffering that includes choices of delivery time-frames and alternative delivery points. It alsomarks a major move by UPS in the US B2C home delivery market that is currently dominated by thetroubled US Postal Service and comes in response to rising e-commerce sales in the USA.
“Our residential customers want the flexibility to easily fit package delivery into their busydaily lives,” said UPS Chairman and CEO Scott Davis. “UPS My Choice is an example of how UPS hasleveraged technology to introduce a level of self-service and choice to consumers never before seenin our industry.”
UPS said that ‘UPS My Choice’ helps avoid the disappointment and hassle of missing a homedelivery by empowering the consumer to take control of UPS deliveries the day before arrival. The ‘ground-breaking’ service increases the likelihood of a successful delivery on the first attempt byproviding delivery alerts, specific delivery time frames, reroute options, visibility tools andelectronic signature release – all by accessing ups.com through a computer or mobile phone.
UPS My Choice provides convenient options that align with the way consumers work and live.Customers can choose between two levels of membership. UPS My Choice members will receive phone,e-mail or text alerts notifying them a day in advance of when packages will arrive and providing afour-hour window for the delivery. They also will have the option to electronically authorizerelease of packages that require a signature and, for a $5 transaction fee, to reroute a package toanother delivery address or have it delivered to the nearest The UPS Store location.
UPS My Choice Premium Membership, available for a $40 annual subscription, provides all thebenefits of a regular UPS My Choice membership but in addition, members gain access to an onlinedelivery calendar that shows the status of UPS home deliveries. Premium members also are offered atwo-hour confirmed delivery window. A $5 transaction fee is charged only upon successful deliveryof the package within the two-hour commitment.
The 2010 online holiday shopping season illustrated how consumers are conducting moretransactions online, the company said. According to comScore, the 2010 U.S. online holiday shoppingseason brought in a record-breaking $32.6 billion in retail spending. This marked a 12%increase over 2009. Cyber Monday made history when consumer spending exceeded $1 billion forthe first time in a single day. As internet commerce continues to grow, package delivery isbecoming an important element of the full customer experience.
“Our shippers view package delivery as a critical piece of the customer experience,” said AlanGershenhorn, UPS’s chief marketing officer. “UPS My Choice is a great stride forward inimproving the convenience and flexibility of home delivery. We are extending our passion forlogistics to residential customers through the introduction of this service.”
UPS customers who ship to consumers at home recognize the significance of the new service,Gershenhorn continued. Firms like QVC, one of the largest multimedia retailers in the world, areapplauding the idea of a tool that allows customers to receive more of their packages on the firstdelivery attempt.
“QVC is pleased to be among the first multi-channel retailers to bring UPS My Choice to ourcustomers, so they can be notified of incoming packages,” said John Hunter, QVC executive vicepresident, customer fulfillment services. “We know our customers will appreciate and embrace theflexibility to make alternate delivery arrangements and assure their QVC purchases arrive at a timethat works within their busy schedules.”
UPS delivers annually to over 100 million residential addresses. For years, the company has beendescribing an emerging world of personalized commerce in which consumers pull the product theywant, when they want it, from whomever they choose. Several years ago, UPS began building thetechnological infrastructure to give consumers the flexibility and control required to manage theirown deliveries.
“UPS My Choice is the extension of sophisticated logistics down to the individual consumer,”said Davis. “It’s the revolutionary next step in a technology drive that has transformed UPS’sability to control the flow of packages around the world.”
