Holiday shipping

Nearly half of retailers surveyed are showing the Christmas Eve cutoff date on their homepages. For many the last day to get guaranteed delivery with standard shipping is around Dec. 15, and some are showing later cutoff dates for expedited deliveries. Carrier performance is improved from last year.

Key takeaways:

• Most cutoff dates for delivery by Dec. 24 with standard shipping are around Dec. 15.
• Some retailers with stores are promoting in-store pickup for last-minute orders.
• Carrier delivery performance has improved over last year.

Nearly half of top online retailers have been advising shoppers this week of cutoff dates for placing orders for delivery by Christmas Eve. Quite a few are also making clear there are options for those who order closer to Christmas, showing expedited delivery dates or encouraging in-store pickup.

Of the 100 sites of major retailers that Digital Commerce 360 editors checked Dec. 12, 43 featured homepage advisories on the last dates for placing orders for delivery by Dec. 24. The most common cutoff date for standard shipping was Dec. 15.