{"id":1126,"date":"2025-05-16T16:15:09","date_gmt":"2025-05-16T16:15:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/uk\/blog\/expedited-shipping\/"},"modified":"2025-05-16T16:16:04","modified_gmt":"2025-05-16T16:16:04","slug":"expedited-shipping","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/uk\/blog\/expedited-shipping\/","title":{"rendered":"Expedited Shipping Explained: How It Works + Compares with Traditional & Standard Shipping"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Table of Contents<\/p>

** Minutes<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

What is expedited shipping?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How fast is expedited shipping compared to other fulfilment options?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why online stores should offer expedited delivery<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which shipping couriers offer expedited shipping?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How much does expedited shipping cost?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to offer expedited delivery without killing your margins<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more about fast shipping<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Standard. Priority. Expedited. Express. Two-day. Next-day. Same-day. Now more than ever, ecommerce shipping<\/a> options can seem as endless as the products available to online shoppers. One thing all shoppers can agree on, however, is that faster shipping is better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the faster options ecommerce retailers can use to speed up shipping to customers is expedited delivery. Here\u2019s what online businesses should know about this shipping option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is expedited shipping?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Expedited shipping is a delivery option that promises faster shipping speeds compared to standard shipping options. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Trucks with expedited goods travel from order pickup to delivery with no stops in between to fulfil expedited shipping demands. What constitutes \u201cexpedited shipping\u201d differs by carrier, but it tends to fall between overnight and 2-day shipping for most domestic deliveries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How fast is expedited shipping compared to other fulfilment options?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Delivery methods and logistics costs<\/a> vary depending on margins, ecommerce fulfilment<\/a> strategy and how you handle logistics, customer locations, and more. One online store\u2019s expedited shipping timeline might be standard to another. Here is how expedited services compare to other shipping and delivery<\/a> times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expedited shipping vs. standard shipping<\/h2><\/div>
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Standard delivery services are usually the cheapest shipping option for both online stores and their customers. Depending on the fulfilment provider and carrier used, standard shipping<\/a> within the US means between three and seven business days from the time the order is dispatched to the time it arrives on the customer\u2019s doorstep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some shipping companies boast two-day delivery<\/a> as their standard, while others make it clear that standard delivery means you\u2019ll need to wait a little while to receive your order. Stores in the latter category generally offer an expedited delivery alternative, such as 2-day or next-day delivery, for customers who need their orders sooner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important to note that most retailers calculate shipping time based on when the order is shipped, not when it\u2019s placed. This means that if an order is placed with 2-day shipping selected, those two days don\u2019t necessarily include order processing time \u2014 especially if that time falls on a weekend or holiday. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

Expedited shipping services vs. express shipping<\/h2><\/div>
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Depending on the retailer and couriers involved, expedited shipping and express shipping can have a variety of meanings and can sometimes be used interchangeably. In general, when both express and expedited shipping options are offered, express shipping is faster, often meaning 2-day or next-day delivery, while expedited just means \u201cfaster than standard.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

Two-day (or next-day) shipping<\/h2><\/div>
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For some retailers, expedited orders are considered premium shipping options<\/a>, shipped with a 2- or next-day turnaround time, while for others, 2-day delivery is standard. Like all shipping options, the way these terms are positioned varies from store to store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to ecommerce giants like Amazon, most online shoppers now expect 2-day shipping \u2013 meaning that 2-day shipping is tablestakes for ecommerce stores, whether as a standard option, a special perk, or something in between. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

Why online stores should offer expedited delivery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here are a few of the top advantages of offering expedited delivery options on your ecommerce store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Reduce cart abandonment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s actually quite common for customers to abandon their cart because of unsatisfactory delivery options. When your customers check out, are there a variety of shipping options available, including affordable and fast options?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Offering an affordable expedited delivery option can help prevent shopping cart abandonment<\/a> and increase conversions for your online store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2. Meet customer expectations around ship time<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Today\u2019s customers expect fast, affordable shipping everywhere they shop online with a fast time frame that they can rely on. With big-box ecommerce companies offering two-day shipping and free shipping options, not offering expedited delivery options will hurt your conversion rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you offer 2-day shipping, you empower your brand to compete with larger marketplaces, fulfil customers\u2019 expectations, and subsequently increase the likelihood that shoppers will convert.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cReducing lead times through ShipBob\u2019s strategic inventory distribution is super important, because we are basically competing against Amazon. We want our website to be the go-to purchasing platform for customers, and we don’t want shipping to be a reason why somebody might not make that choice. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By distributing inventory across 3 ShipBob fulfilment centres through their Inventory Placement Program, our customers are getting their orders in a couple days. It’s very comparable to what customers been trained to expect with Amazon.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tyler McCann, Co-Founder of Taste Salud <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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3. Build customer loyalty<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It is far more cost effective for businesses to retain a current customer than to win a new one. When customers get their delivery fast and on time, they may be more likely to purchase from you again in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, shoppers are far less likely to never shop with a retailer again following a negative delivery experience, and negative reviews based on transit times or shipping charges are likely to dissuade would-be buyers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Which shipping couriers offer expedited shipping?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Just as different online stores define expedited shipping<\/a> and delivery in different ways, each carrier has its own version of fast and faster shipping options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you aren\u2019t sure which carrier\u2019s expedited shipping options are the right choice for you, finding a third-party logistics (3PL<\/a>) provider to help you navigate and select the right shipping methods can be invaluable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

USPS expedited shipping<\/h2><\/div>
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One popular USPS mail type<\/a> is their expedited shipping option called Priority Mail Express<\/a>. They describe it as their \u201cfastest domestic service.\u201d Packages under 70 pounds ship overnight through Priority Mail Express starting at $31.40. Priority Mail Express includes things like USPS tracking with optional add-ons like a certificate of mailing<\/a> and sign-on-delivery.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

UPS expedited shipping<\/h2><\/div>
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For domestic deliveries, UPS offers a variety of expedited services and shipping options<\/a>, including same-, next-, two-, and three-day shipping guarantees. All of these options are faster than the standard UPS Ground option which can take up to five business to deliver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For international shipments<\/a>, UPS Worldwide Expedited<\/a> service offers fast, guaranteed deliveries to over 220 countries for small packages.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

FedEx expedited shipping<\/h2><\/div>
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FedEx has several ways to ship expedited orders that depend on the package\u2019s size, destination, and urgency. These include FedEx SameDay\u00ae, FedEx Express Saver\u00ae (U.S.), and FedEx 2Day A.M.\u00ae, just to name a few.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

How much does expedited shipping cost?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The extra cost of expedited services varies based on the carrier, destination, and weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Domestic expedited shipping rates by carrier <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Here are some sample comparisons of domestic expedited shipping rates from some of the most popular US couriers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carrier & Shipping Option<\/strong><\/td>Price<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
USPS Priority Mail Express <\/td>$31.40 <\/td><\/tr>
UPS 2nd Day Air A.M.\u00ae<\/a><\/td>$26.62 <\/td><\/tr>
FedEx 2 Day<\/a><\/td>$25.23<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Overnight shipping rates by carrier <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Here are some sample comparisons based on overnight delivery*:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carrier & Shipping Option<\/strong><\/td>Price<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
UPS Next Day Air\u00ae Early<\/a> (delivery by 8:00 AM next day) <\/td>$72.42 <\/td><\/tr>
FedEx First Overnight\u00ae<\/a><\/td>$73.31 <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

*These are for illustration purposes only. Shipping costs will vary based on carrier, seasonality, dimensional weight, package weight, products shipped, and a variety of other factors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re looking to streamline expedited shipping costs and save time on the complete order fulfilment process<\/a>, consider partnering with a 3PL<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to offer expedited delivery without killing your margins<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Shipping expedited orders can be expensive \u2014 but it actually doesn\u2019t have to be. Here are some ways to keep shipping fast and affordable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Require a minimum spend threshold<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One way to offer expedited shipping while staying profitable is by requiring a minimum spend threshold hat shoppers must meet in order to qualify for 2-day shipping \u2014 especially if you intend to offer free expedited delivery. For this option to make sense, the amount of money a customer spends to qualify for expedited shipping must be greater than the average order value<\/a> (AOV). Requiring a minimum spend to qualify for free expedited shipping helps offset the cost of faster shipping, and can even help increase the AOV of sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWhen people come to our site, that\u2019s when we see larger orders. Especially because we have a free shipping threshold. Our average cart value is about $106, and our average order size can be high \u2013 we recently had an order come through that had 58 items in it.  All that said, the large items really bogged down our shipping department. It was challenging for us to manage those large orders efficiently from our warehouse. We\u2019re thankful for our partnership with ShipBob because they can take those high-volume orders on.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Lewis, President and COO of Vision Investments (parent company of AutoGeek)   <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Distribute inventory to ship from multiple fulfilment centres<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Because of how shipping zones<\/a> work, the less distance a package has to travel, the faster and less expensive it will be to ship. By distributing inventory to multiple fulfilment centres near your customers, you can reach more customers quickly with ground shipping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This enables you to offer 2-day shipping without necessarily using (and paying for) a carrier\u2019s premium expedited shipping options, which helps you save money while delighting customers and reducing cart abandonment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cDistributing inventory across the world with ShipBob drastically cut our transit times. When we were only shipping from our Miami, FL warehouse, it would take us 25 days to deliver an order to a customer in the EU, while using ShipBob\u2019s UK fulfilment centre, it takes only 3 days. That\u2019s an 88% reduction in shipping time for those international customers!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rachel Tannenholz, President of Aroma360 <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Outsource fulfilment to a fulfilment partner<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Outsourcing shipping and fulfilment<\/span><\/a> to a professional fulfilment provider or 3PL<\/a> can help ecommerce businesses leverage shipping options, discounts, and technology not available to those who do fulfilment in-house<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ShipBob is an expert supply chain and fulfilment partner that helps ecommerce merchants meet customer expectations around expedited orders and grow their business.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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