UPS adds international destinations to Saturday pick-ups

In a move to support shippers wanting to fulfill online orders over the weekend, UPS has expanded its Saturday pick-up service for U.S. customers with the addition of 122 export destinations around the world. 

The UPS Worldwide Express product is now available to a total of 179 destinations, including 28 new markets in the Americas, 20 in Europe, two in Asia Pacific, and 72 in the Middle East and Africa. Businesses scheduling a Saturday pick-up can have their shipments processed and shipped on Sunday and delivered as early as Monday. 

According to Nando Cesarone, president of UPS International, the expansion will be particularly beneficial to smaller customers that are looking to export overseas. “Small and medium businesses account for 98% of all exporting companies in the U.S.,” he said. “But only 1% of all businesses in the U.S. are exporting. Just imagining the many opportunities out there for companies isn’t enough if you want to grow. That’s why we’re tripling the number of high-growth international markets that growth-minded companies can export to on a Saturday. An extra pick-up day for businesses – especially the smaller ones – seeking to expand their customer base is another way to show that selling across borders can be as straightforward as shipping at home.” 

Other industries that will benefit from the addition include automotive, high-tech and healthcare, all of whom have global customer bases and will be able to turn inventory faster, utilize space more efficiently and increase productivity. About 95 percent of consumers are located outside the U.S. and, according to a study conducted by the Institute for International Economics, U.S.-based companies exporting to multiple countries are 8.5 percent less likely to go out of business than those that do not. 

UPS first launched its range of Saturday ground delivery and pick-up services for U.S. customers in 2017. Today it offers more than 28,000 UPS Access Point locations worldwide for online shoppers to pick up their shipments.