UPS Mail Innovations vs. UPS Ground or UPS Air: What’s The Difference?
Looking into UPS shipping and a bit confused by the terms? Don’t worry, you aren’t alone. “UPS Mail Innovations” is a particularly difficult-to-unwind phrase, but we did the research and have you covered.
Lon story short, “UPS Mail Innovations” and “UPS Ground/Air” are different services offered by UPS, each with its own characteristics and use cases.
UPS Mail Innovations
UPS’ Mail Innovations is a low cost shipping service that businesses use to ship smaller items when they want to keep costs down. Typically UPS will handle most of the transportation but then the a local postal service (typically the USPS) will handle the final delivery.
Mail Innovations is best of bulk (up to millions of items) delivery of parcels are under 1 pound.
Mail Innovation Details
- Type of Service: UPS Mail Innovations is a hybrid mailing service. It combines the logistics network of UPS with local postal services for the final delivery.
- Intended Use: It’s designed primarily for lightweight and less time-sensitive shipments, often used for shipping bulk mail, such as flyers, catalogs, and product samples.
- Delivery Process: UPS handles the initial pick-up and transportation of the package, then hands it over to the local postal service (for example: USPS) in the destination country or area for the final delivery.
- Speed: Generally slower than UPS’s purely courier-based services. Delivery times can vary significantly, depending on the final destination.
- Cost: Typically more cost-effective for smaller, lightweight packages, especially for international shipments.
UPS Ground/Air
UPS Ground and UPS Air are mainstay services offered by UPS. They are typically fast than Mail Innovations and offer better tracking, ensuring your parcel gets to its final destination faster and with more security than other services.
UPS Ground and Air are best for any parcel that needs end-to-end tracking as well as anything heavy (over 1 pound).
- Type of Service: These are courier-based shipping services.
- UPS Ground: Offers day-definite deliveries based on the distance to the destination. It’s used for domestic shipments within the United States.
- UPS Air Services (Next Day Air, 2nd Day Air, etc.): Provide faster delivery options, including overnight and two-day delivery, using UPS’s air network.
- Intended Use: Ideal for packages that require faster delivery, higher security, and detailed tracking.
- Delivery Process: Handled entirely by UPS’s own network, without relying on local postal services.
- Speed: UPS Ground delivery times depend on the distance, while Air services offer guaranteed delivery times.
- Cost: More expensive than Mail Innovations, with prices varying based on the speed of service, package size, and destination.
In summary, UPS Mail Innovations is best suited for less urgent, lightweight shipments, often at a lower cost, but with longer delivery times and a reliance on local postal services for final delivery. UPS Ground/Air services provide faster, more secure shipping with a fully courier-based approach, suitable for more urgent and heavier packages.
Anything shipped by Mail Innovations could be shipped via Air or Ground services, but the reverse is not true.