UPS is playing Cupid for the upcoming St Valentine’s Day on 14 February by transporting millionsof flowers from Latin America to the USA along with other gifts to celebrate romantic love around
the world.During the weeks prior to Valentine’s Day, UPS has been shipping an estimated 95 million flowersfrom Latin America with 130 additional flights to respond to the growing volumes in gifts includingflowers, lobsters and sweets to arrive on time for the celebration. Last minute ‘lovebirds’ canship as late as Wednesday, February 13th, using UPS Next Day Air.
As a global celebration of love, Valentine’s Day is a significant retail and e-commerce event ofthe calendar year and one of the heaviest single delivery days of the year for UPS apart from thetraditional holiday peak season in November and December.
With flowers being among the most popular gifts for Valentine’s Day, the millions of flowersshipped by UPS will travel along its “cold chain”, flying first on UPS temperature-controlledaircraft from locations in Latin America (primarily Ecuador and Colombia) to its Miami air hub.More than 80% of all flower imports come through Miami, where UPS is the largest air cargocarrier.
From Miami, the 3,000 tons of flowers will be moved through UPS’s 2,508 sqm refrigeratedwarehouse for inspection and sorted for final delivery. UPS planners work closely with customersand government inspectors so that the entire journey from farms in Latin America, through customs,to the importer in the USA can be completed in 24 hours as flowers are highly perishable.
Other products shipped by UPS for Valentine’s Day include life-sized “Hunka Love” teddy bearsand also temperature-sensitive lobster dinners from companies like Maine-based Lobster Gram andsweet treats from businesses like Fairytale Brownies.
For businesses that ship perishables, UPS experts are available to provide guidance on packagingto help these special shipments arrive fresh and intact. Over the past decade, the company hasdeveloped broad expertise in ‘cold chain’ and temperature-sensitive transportation andpackaging.
“Valentine’s Day is a significant retail and e-commerce event and for some of our customers, itcan be their biggest day of the year,” David Sisco, Retail Marketing Director at UPS, said.“Valentine’s Day brings together many of the expanded services UPS offers: global trade and customsclearance, temperature-sensitive solutions, express freight and shipping, and our focus ondelivering the best experience for retailers and their customers.”
