UPS, FedEx discounts heat up, but shipping costs still surging

Core Insights - Ground shipping costs are expected to rise further in Q1 due to annual price increases, impacting shippers financially in an already expensive delivery service environment [3] - FedEx and UPS are strategically prioritizing small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to enhance profitability per package, with both companies reporting positive momentum in this sector [5][6] Group 1: Shipping Costs and Discounts - Rates for ground and express parcels are projected to increase, with per-package ground delivery rates in Q4 being 34.1% above the January 2018 baseline, while express rates rose to 5% above the baseline [7] - Discounts for FedEx and UPS shippers increased in Q4 after a decline in the previous two quarters, with average discounts rising by 0.7 percentage points for express shipments and 0.3 percentage points for ground shipments [4][7] - The increase in discounts primarily benefited small and medium-sized shippers for ground deliveries, while larger customers received more benefits from express shipment discounts [7] Group 2: Strategic Focus on SMBs - FedEx and UPS are focusing on gaining market share in the SMB segment, which is often more profitable on a per-package basis compared to large-scale clients [5] - UPS reported taking share in both volume and value from SMBs in Q3, while FedEx noted a strong quarter for business-to-business shipments among smaller shippers [6]