FedEx forecast a record holiday shipping season this year, and the busiest day is expected to be Dec. 15.
The Memphis-based shipper expects to process 22.6 million shipments that day, making it the busiest day in company history. Overall, FedEx anticipates 290 million packages will be delivered by the company between Black Friday, the day after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, and Christmas Eve.
FedEx’s annual holiday shipping volume has nearly doubled since 2007 as more shoppers log on to buy presents and other seasonal items online. The busiest shipping day in 2007 was on Dec. 17 when the company moved 11.5 million packages, almost half of what it is planning for this year.
FedEx’s (FDX) peak shipping days over the past seven years have fallen as early as Dec. 12 and as late as Dec. 17, and much depends on what day the Christmas holiday falls.
UPS (UPS) has not yet provided its peak holiday volume forecast for this year, but is expected to after its third-quarter earnings on Oct. 24.