Couriers such as UPS, FedEx prepare for the holidays

As the holiday season is quickly approaching, many companies are optimizing their delivery operations. Businesses need to ensure every part of their supply chain is ready to handle additional shipping. Not only will suppliers and manufacturers be sending out more product to merchants for the holidays, consumers will also be buying more retail goods and expecting them to be shipped to their residences.

Businesses that built their brand on timely delivery, such as FedEx and UPS, are also getting ready for a rush of increased business as people make purchases online and send gifts to friends and relatives across the country. Keeping logistical operations running smoothly is essential for these businesses at this time of the year.

Holiday preparation
Some shoppers are getting started on their purchases early on, and it's critical for logistical operations to be able to handle those large shipments as soon as they begin. Most major transport companies have already gotten a head start on their holiday preparation to ensure they are able to handle the crush of holiday packages being shipped across the country.

"All of the courier companies that offer services through Parcel2Go are well underway with their Christmas preparations," said Richard Mercer, Parcel2Go's marketing director, according to Supply Chain Digital. "With more people than ever expected to purchase presents online, demand for shipping service is once again set to reach a peak in the days before Christmas."

Shipping giant UPS anticipates delivering 527 million packages across the world between late November and Christmas, according to Supply Chain Digital. This huge amount is a 10 percent increase from the number of parcels delivered last year, and the company plans to bring on more than 50,000 temporary employees to assist with the increased amount of work.

FedEx also has plans to deliver quite a few packages this year - the source reports it expects to ship approximately 280 million packages for a 13 percent increase over last year's numbers. FedEx will also bring on thousands of additional seasonal workers to help handle its logistics operations.

Keeping an eye on shipping
Merchants need to keep a close eye on all shipping operations to ensure they have a sufficient amount of product in stock and to be certain purchases are making their way to customers in a timely fashion.

Retailers looking to increase holiday procurement need to be sure they have enough merchandise on their shelves need to keep a close watch on orders and cut-off dates. Doing so will ensure they will be able to receive their inventory on time and will have enough products to offer customers this holiday season.