FedEx Corp. (FDX) expects to kick off the peak holiday shipping season with record package volume on Cyber Monday, Dec. 2, moving more than 33 million packages through our global network on that day alone. The company also expects to more than double its average daily package volume on the two Mondays that follow.

The spikes on Mondays are attributed to weekend online shopping, resulting in orders hitting retailers’ shipping cycles early in the week, and driving strong demand for residential delivery.

Though this holiday season is four days shorter than last season, the company expects operational intensity to remain the same.

From growing the retail network, to enhanced offerings that make returns easy, we’re offering convenient options for customers while also supporting the influx of e-commerce volume. Other enhancements to the network include:

• As the e-commerce market grows, so does the market for returns, with research indicating 62 percent of shoppers are more likely to shop online if they can return in store. FedEx has expanded its retail network and extended FedEx Office store operating hours to offer consumers more convenience in dropping off their returns. FedEx makes returns easier for consumers and merchants of all sizes with our diverse portfolio of returns transportation and technology solutions.
• We also continue to build out FedEx Ground’s large package handling capabilities to accommodate items like TVs and furniture, which consumers are increasingly ordering online. This includes facilities dedicated to sorting large packages, plus new handling equipment in more than 30 FedEx Ground stations in time for the busy holiday shipping season.
• We announced the expansion of FedEx Freight Direct to more than 80 percent of the contiguous U.S. population. The new e-commerce solution offers delivery of bulky items such as furniture, TVs and exercise equipment by FedEx Freight team members into residences and businesses.
• Leveraging one of the most automated networks in the world, FedEx Ground has begun offering seven-day residential service to customers as part of the ramp-up to the peak season. Throughout this peak and beyond, FedEx Ground will provide seven-day residential delivery to the majority of the U.S. population.
• Once again, FedEx will not apply a residential peak surcharge this holiday season. This helps small and medium-sized FedEx customers keep costs low for their customers.
• We continue to invest in our extensive retail network, which now includes more than 14,000 FedEx hold locations, including pick-up and drop-off services at more than 2,100 FedEx Office locations and well-known retailers such as Walgreens, Albertsons, Kroger and Dollar General.Eighty percent of the U.S. population now lives within five miles of a FedEx hold location.
• With FedEx Delivery Manager, package recipients can customize home deliveries to fit their schedules, including changing the time and location of a delivery, requesting a signature upon delivery and leaving instructions for the courier; sign up is free at fedex.com/delivery.