Due to fierce competition from Amazon, FedEx is stepping up its game with Sunday home deliveries. The courier delivery service will be delivering goods on all days of the week. Before, FedEx only made deliveries from Monday through Saturday during normal times of year.
This isn't the first time that FedEx has decided to deliver on Sundays. However, it will be the first permanent change to Sundays with a year-round schedule. In years past Sunday delivery service was offered only during the holiday season so that the volume of presents would arrive on time for Christmas. FedEx announced the introduction of year round Sunday delivery in a May, 2019 press release.
Starting in January 2020, FedEx will deliver ground packages to residential addresses every day of the week, not just on weekdays and Saturday.
In a related move, FedEx will dramatically reduce it reliance on the USPS to deliver packages shipped using its SmartPost service. SmartPost is a cost effective shipping service and a favorite of eCommerce merchants. FedEx collects SmartPost shipments from its customers and delivers them to the USPS terminal closest to the delivery address. There, packages are sorted and forwarded to the local post office for final delivery.
FedEx plans to move approximately 2 million packages previously handed off to the USPS to its ground operations. The influx of packages into its ground network will increase delivery density - the number of deliveries in a given area - and help make FedEx drivers more efficient. Delivery density will be further aided by what FedEx believes will be a doubling of package volume in the US by 2026.
With this ground-breaking move, FedEx hopes that eCommerce retailers will make FedEx their delivery company of choice. FedEx believes that eCommerce merchants and online shoppers will be very accepting of Sunday delivery since they won't have to wait until the following Monday orders to arrive.
In its announcement, FedEx didn't mention any additional fees tied to Sunday delivery. However, the FedEx Service Guide for 2020 doesn't come out until December 16, 2018. Once it comes out, we'll know for sure and I'll update this post!
FedEx's primary service for residential deliveries is FedEx Home Delivery. In 2019, it can be used for packages up to 70 pounds and for deliveries on Monday through Saturday. No additional fees are added for residential delivery or Saturday delivery, although the transportation rates are slightly higher than FedEx Ground service. FedEx Home Delivery is the primary beneficiary of FedEx's announcement that it will be making Sunday deliveries to residential addresses.
FedEx Ground service will make deliveries to residential addresses when the weight of the shipment exceeds 70 pounds. Historically, FedEx Ground only makes deliveries on weekdays. FedEx's announcement about Sunday deliveries spoke nondescriptly about its "ground operations" handling Sunday deliveries. It's not yet clear if FedEx Ground will become a service available for Saturday and Sunday delivery. The FedEx Service Guide for 2020 will confirm this.
Like FedEx Ground, the impact on the SmartPost product will remain unclear until the 2020 FedE Service Guide is released. Since FedEx isn't moving all of its SmartPost package volume away from the USPS, the product will likely remain intact without any changes. The exception being who is actually making the "last mile" delivery.
The growth of eCommerce continues to drive new and innovative package delivery services. FedEx's introduction of Sunday residential delivery is yet another example. Another exciting potential development is the use of robots and drones to automate deliveries. In early 2019, FedEx began testing it autonomous robot called the SameDay Bot in Memphis, Tennessee. The constant pursuit of innovation will mean better and better options for eCommerce merchants and consumers.
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