2022 Holiday shipping deadlines

Do you know your courier shipping deadlines?

The end of the year is fast approaching and that means one thing for shipping: Peak season. Running from early August to the end of December, peak season refers to the time when a perfect storm of holidays and shopping events like Black Friday put pressure on eCommerce retailers.

This year’s holiday season is expected to be even busier as it builds on the momentum of the past few years. A UPS study found that nearly half of people surveyed are planning to do more of their holiday shopping online.

It might be easy to convince yourself there’s still a few months left to organise your holiday shipping plans, but that time is going to disappear in the blink of an eye. To take some of the stress out of preparing for the busiest time of the year we’ve prepared a helpful guide with all of the important holiday shipping guidelines so all of your orders get out on time.

Holiday shipping deadlines – Key tips for retailers

If you’re aware of your local courier’s holiday shipping deadlines, you can keep your customers informed of final order dates and ensure you’re meeting their expectations when it comes to holiday delivery.

While this is a traditionally busy time and people can be notoriously last-minute when it comes to their holiday shopping, McKinsey & Company found that recently this trend has begun to change. The consultancy found that shoppers are very aware of global shipping and production challenges, and in many cases are ordering earlier than normal to secure the gift they’re after.

If you’re expecting high holiday demand for your products, it could be beneficial to start your marketing push a little earlier to meet these expectations.

Before you check out the holiday shipping deadlines for New Zealand, Australia and the UK, here are some final quick tips:

• Be proactive! - Some shipping cutoff dates are much earlier than expected, with certain international deadlines often in November rather than December.
• Check the guarantees! - Not all couriers guarantee delivery, so make sure your chosen service doesn’t have disclaimer stating their posted dates are just guidelines.
• Tell your customers! - Once you’ve worked out your own order deadlines, start informing your customers through your marketing channels as early as you can. Update your website and maybe even send a dedicated email to your marketing list.
• Ask for help! - Peak season is the perfect time to put an integrated shipping fulfillment platform to the test.

Check your dates!

There’s no set date couriers release their holiday shipping cutoff times, so please note the placeholder 2021 dates in the tables below. As we get closer to the end of the year, double check these dates with your couriers.