Real estate agents and retailers know that location matters. And it matters to shippers, too. In fact, a common question your expert hears from UPS customers is: How do I know if a shipping address is residential or commercial, and why does it matter?
The answer is simple:
- A residential delivery goes to a home, including a business operating out of a home.
- A commercial delivery goes to a business.
No need to memorize that distinction. Your UPS shipping system automatically determines the category of a destination.
It's an important determination because it costs a little less to ship to a commerical address. That's because it's less expensive to deliver to densely clustered commercial addresses than to residences often scattered throughout sprawling suburban neighborhoods.
Save money
You can take these two steps to reduce costs – and benefit your customers.
"First, when it makes sense, businesses should encourage their customers to provide their work address vs. their home address for delivery," says Mark Sauer, a marketing analyst for UPS. "This benefits the shipper with a lower shipping cost, and the customer typically benefits by receiving packages earlier in the day. And since during regular delivery hours many people are at work more than at home, first-delivery attempt completion at commercial addresses is higher. This benefits everybody."
Sauer offers one other piece of advice to customers with home-based businesses who either ship or receive packages from a residential address: Use The UPS Store®.
"It's a commercial delivery every time, so the rate is lower," Sauer says. "Every location of The UPS Store can provide a mailbox with a real street address and many locations offer secure 24-hour access to mail and package deliveries. Plus, The UPS Store can handle all shipping needs, from documents to surfboards."
Are you making the most of UPS? Find a location of The UPS Store nearest you.
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