USPS Office of Inspector General

Knowing exactly where your package is and when it will arrive has the edge over how long it will take when it comes to what consumers want in cross-border delivery of online orders. That’s one of the key findings of the most recent survey from the International Post Corporation (IPC) on cross-border ecommerce shopping.

Delivery companies are literally digging deeper to develop new systems for getting packages quickly to customers with one futuristic idea having roots in the past.

Credit Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos for bringing drones into the public consciousness with his December 13, 2013, 60 Minutes interview. In what many skeptics viewed as a masterful piece of marketing, he predicted that in the next 5 years, drones would further revolutionize the online retail industry. Suddenly, drones were on the national radar screen, even though only a few test models were actually flying.

It’s Christmas in July for the retail industry. Holiday decorations might not hit stores for a few more months, but retailers are now working on their 2015 holiday plans. 

And you can bet that shipping strategies are a big part of those plans. Online sales made up about 10 percent of the $616 billion in holiday sales last year, so shipping plans are a top priority for retailers. In addition, more and more retailers are eyeing the international market, which means cross-border shipping is part of the mix as well.

The 2013 holiday season turned out to be a particularly eventful one for e-tailers and the shippers that deliver all those packages to your door.

Factors like fewer than average shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas and an increasing comfort level with online buying helped push holiday e-commerce up significantly. In fact, demand exceeded expectations and stressed shippers’ capacity, causing some late deliveries of their goods.