E-COMMERCE  /  SME

By FedEx | First published: November 24, 2023   Updated: December 17, 2025

The holiday season is a golden moment to win new customers and grow your brand. Here’s how to impress shoppers with a seamless delivery experience and keep them coming back.

• Asia Pacific (APAC) holiday shoppers expect swift delivery. 90% say that efficient shipping is essential when buying holiday gifts online.
• From convenient shipping options to seamless returns, brands must reduce friction at every step of the fulfillment journey.
• A reliable logistics provider offers the tools and expertise to make peak season shipping stress-free.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. For small businesses, it can also be the most demanding. As the holiday shopping season kicks into high gear, your e-commerce business is likely hard at work packing and shipping a surge of online orders.

While this spike in sales is great news for your bottom line, it also brings intense pressure to ensure every order arrives on time. FedEx’s latest Asia-Europe Trade Report reveals that nearly nine out of ten shoppers in Asia Pacific (APAC) view efficient shipping as essential when purchasing holiday gifts online. However, 55% have experienced delivery delays during holiday shopping in previous years.

To avoid frustrating customers, brands need to reduce friction at every step of the fulfillment journey. From thoughtful packaging to seamless returns, here are seven tips to help you get holiday shipping right and deliver a merry customer experience.

1. Give your packaging a festive touch

A beautifully wrapped parcel can give your customers that magical feeling of Christmas coming early and leave a lasting impression of your brand. For gift-focused shoppers, festive packaging can also help your brand stand out from the crowd. 

Consider meaningful yet budget-friendly additions such as personalized notes written on decorative paper. You can also offer free gift wrapping and let shoppers pick from a range of seasonal prints. Festive stickers, tape, and tissue paper are other easy ways to brighten up holiday deliveries.

2. Check your logistics provider’s timelines

Each year, logistics providers like FedEx may share holiday shipping updates and information to help businesses and customers avoid unexpected delays. To ensure delivery by Christmas, companies should plan around their carrier’s recommended timelines to ensure packages arrive by December 25. 

That’s why it’s crucial to align your marketing efforts with your logistics provider’s peak season shipping timelines. Calculate the lead time you’ll need to pack and ship orders and communicate clear cut-off dates across your website, social media channels, and checkout pages. You can even offer early-bird discounts to encourage customers to complete their holiday shopping ahead of time.

3. Offer a variety of shipping options

It’s no secret that shoppers love fast and affordable delivery. In fact, 54% of Asian consumers say high shipping costs would lead them to abandon their carts at checkout. Meanwhile, 40% of global shoppers won’t order from stores that don’t offer next-day or scheduled delivery. 

For small businesses, however, offering free and fast holiday shipping can impact margins. A strategic solution is to give customers a range of delivery options – from economy shipping for early birds to express services for last-minute shoppers. This enables them to choose the balance of cost and speed that best fits their needs. You can also offer free or discounted shipping above a certain minimum order value to encourage larger purchases. 

4. Make deliveries more convenient for customers

From overseas trips to last-minute gift shopping, the holiday season is a busy time for customers. Give them the gift of convenience by allowing them to customize delivery dates and times. 

Check with your logistics provider about what solutions are available to give your customers more flexibility. For example, FedEx Delivery Manager allows recipients to schedule or reschedule deliveries at no extra cost, choose alternative delivery locations, and get shipment notifications via SMS or email.

5. Provide transparency from checkout to doorstep

Holiday shopping comes with higher stakes than everyday purchases – no one wants to give a gift late or realize they’ve chosen the wrong color by mistake. Transparency plays a key role in boosting customer satisfaction and building brand trust.

Start by ensuring product details and photos on your website are clear and accurate to reduce the likelihood of returns. You should also communicate your returns policy consistently across all touchpoints, from checkout pages to order confirmation emails.

Once orders are placed, customers expect real-time visibility into their shipment status and location. Choose a logistics solution that supports end-to-end parcel tracking and provides picture proof of delivery, offering shoppers peace of mind every step of the way. 

6. Create a friction-free returns experience

A customer-friendly returns process can go a long way in building goodwill. If your standard returns window is short – say, 14 days – customers may feel rushed during an already hectic period. Consider extending your returns deadline beyond the festive season, giving shoppers more flexibility.

Alongside a generous returns window, you can also provide customers with convenient return labels. With FedEx Global Returns, for instance, e-commerce businesses can create digital and customizable return labels to simplify the process. By making the returns experience as fuss-free as possible, you leave a positive impression and encourage repeat purchases.  

7. Review what worked and what didn’t

Peak season shipping offers valuable insights into your fulfillment processes. It’s a chance to identify inefficiencies, gather customer feedback, and improve how you handle high order volumes in the future. 

Review your order data and investigate any significant delivery issues. Which products took longer to pack and ship? Which routes experienced the most delays? Customer messages are another rich source of insight. Track common questions and complaints to uncover gaps in communication or unmet expectations.

Remember, every peak-season purchase has the potential to become a long-term customer relationship. When shoppers see that you value their feedback and act on it, they’re more likely to return – well before the next holiday season.

Deliver good cheer with the right shipping support

For many brands, the holiday season is a make-or-break opportunity to drive sales and win new customers. By delivering a smooth, reliable shipping experience, you can turn first-time shoppers into loyal fans and set your business up for year-round growth. 

You don’t have to do it alone. A reliable logistics provider can provide the tools and expertise needed to optimize your holiday shipping strategy. Sign up for a FedEx account and find out how we can help you navigate the holiday season with confidence.