Online shopping can be interesting, and anticipating your package’s arrival is thrilling. However, you might have heard of ‘next business day shipping’, ‘same-day delivery’, ‘next-day delivery’, or similar terms relevant to them. Now, you might be curious about what next-business-day shipping means.
What is the next business day from today? Well, we got you covered. So, you don’t have to stress over your online order and wait for the expected delivery. This guide will tell you what the next business shipping means, how much it costs, which logistics companies offer such a facility, and more. Let’s crush this.
What is Next Business Day Shipping?
For shipping, a business day identifies the day the courier company operates for the selected shipping method. What is Next Business Day Shipping? Before you leap, you need to understand what a business day refers to.
Business days are significant for a business or shipping company and its operations. Any day from Monday to Friday is counted as a business day, except for holidays.
Let’s elaborate on the concept a bit further with the following examples:
- Suppose you place an order on Wednesday from a particular eCommerce site. Then, the corresponding courier company will ship the order on Thursday, according to its next-business-day shipping method.
- However, if you place an order on Friday, the shipping company won’t initiate the shipping process on Saturday. This is because Saturday is not a business day. The next business day after Friday is Monday. So, you can expect your package to enter the shipping process on Monday, followed by the next-business-day shipping rule.
On the other hand, next-business-day shipping might vary from one courier or shipping company to another. Most e-commerce platforms now offer Next Business Day Shipping facilities. It might cost customers extra bucks to deliver their orders within 24 hours.
For example, Amazon Prime members can avail of next-day-business shipping from Amazon. They have to pay a certain amount to facilitate the feature. However, eCommerce giants have become competitive and have significantly lowered the next-business-day shipping cost.
In fact, consumers can get next-day delivery with the help of next-business-day shipping services.
How Much Does the Next Business Day Shipping Cost?
If you run a business and consider this popular shipping method, you might be curious about the cost of next-business-day shipping UPS. Reportedly, 24% of customers prefer speedy delivery during online shopping. Customers cancel their online orders if there’s a delay in receiving the order.
As a business owner, you might want to satisfy your customers. That’s why you should consider this express shipping method for your business. They are quite handy and can keep your customers satisfied. However, the next business day shipping can invite higher cost implications.
E-commerce giants like Walmart, Target, and Amazon have made their next-day shipping affordable and reliable. So, smaller businesses and retailers must find competitive shipping and delivery solutions soon.
Top shipping companies have named their next business day shipping methods differently. For instance, UPS has UPS Next Day Air and UPS Next Day Air Early. Similarly, FedEx offers FedEx First Overnight, FedEx Priority Overnight, and FedEx Standard Overnight.
However, there’s no one-size-fits-all pricing policy for the next business day shipping process via any courier company. Be it domestic or international deliveries, the cost of the next business day shipping relies on the following factors:
- Dimensions of the package
- Package weight
- Shipping distance
- Promised delivery timeframe
For example, here is how different courier companies and their express shipping methods cost for sending a 10’’x5’’x5’’ 2lbs package from Miami to Brooklyn:
- UPS Next Day Air charges $84.51.
- UPS Next Day Air Early costs $114.74.
- FedEx First Overnight charges $110.34.
- FedEx Priority Overnight charges $78.57.
- USPS Priority Mail Express is available at $46.20.
- FedEx Standard Overnight costs $60.80.
Next Business Day Shipping: How Does it Work?
With the next business day shipping process, a customer can expect his package to arrive the next day after ordering. However, the delivery date depends on the customer’s location and the seller’s cut-off time. As a customer, you have to consider the seller’s cut-off times.
Additionally, you have to place an order early. Now, what’s the cut-off time for a seller? The cut-off time indicates the latest time a seller or business can hand over the order for delivery. For FedEx and UPs, the cut-off time is around 4 p.m., whereas the cut-off time at USPS is around 8 p.m. EST.
How can you ensure that your next business day shipping UPS order will reach you the next day? As a customer, you have to be aware of a few things to receive your online order as earliest as possible, such as:
- Ensure that you order before the cut-off time of the seller or the courier company. In addition, the cut-off time can vary depending on the seller’s location.
- After you place an order, the seller will pack it and take it to the nearest sorting facility of the carrier company.
- Next, the carrier sorts all the received packages by the assigned destination. Then, the shipping company loads those packages onto a truck or plane, depending on their destination. For instance, long-distance packages will travel by plane, whereas others will travel via truck.
- Afterwards, packages will be received at the destination, and you as a customer, will receive your order.
Although next business day shipping FedEx should be received on the very next day, you can expect delays due to a few unavoidable and unforeseen circumstances, like:
- Weather complications
- Traffic jams
- Holidays and more
Should You Consider Next Business Day Shipping?
If you are a customer, then next business day shipping is certainly delightful. However, if you are a business owner then you have to keep environmental and warehousing challenges next business day shipping posseses. Therefore, check out the following instances before you opt for next-day shipping for your buyers:
Cost to Businesses
Express shipping or next-day shipping methods can cost a retailer up to four times the charges of standard shipping. Hence, high shipping costs are the primary headache for next-business-day shipping methods.
On average, it will cost you $27 per package with one distribution centre. However, you can lower the cost by up to 60% with 10 distribution centres. Whereas express shipping costs up to $5 per package for Amazon. Giant retailers can facilitate more customers along with strategically implanted distribution centres.
On the other hand, smaller retailers have to bear an expensive proposition to satisfy their customers. Additionally, they are trying their best to keep up with the competition.
Environmental Challenges
No doubt, next-day deliveries tempt customers to get groceries and others to be delivered to their doorsteps. However, this affects the environment as carbon emissions are escalated. If customers prefer going to physical grocery stores, instead of opting for next-day delivery, then carbon emissions can be decreased by up to 90%.
As you can see, more trucks and vehicles will be on the road to drop off packages individually. They will carry a few items. Therefore, next business day shipping UPS or any other system can cause higher greenhouse gas emissions.
Warehouse Complications
An extensive warehouse network is a pillar of the next-day shipping mechanism. The more distribution centres you can afford, the more profit you can make from the express shipping methods. For example, Amazon has done a terrific job with its expansive warehouse distribution centres and network all over the world.
So, you should implement a warehouse network through a partnership in key locations. They can lower your delivery costs and timespan. Consider a powerful warehouse network for reduced delivery costs and speedy delivery.
Summing up…
Is next business day shipping and delivery the best choice for your business? Giant eCommerce sites have elevated customers’ expectations over same-day or next-day delivery. And, you need to compete against them to stay in the competition and satisfy your customers.
Undoubtedly, next-day shipping challenges will keep you on your toes if you are a retailer. However, you can place your order early, keep track of the weather, and track your package if you are a customer. Additionally, keep a backup plan ready if you don’t receive the package the next day.
