Knowledge Base

FedEx offers two ground delivery service options comparable to UPS Ground which are FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery. In this article, we will explain what the differences are and how you can save money on shipping. First, here are the official words from FedEx website for FedEx Ground:

“Fast. Reliable. FedEx Ground. Faster delivery to and from your customers makes them happier sooner. Get cost-effective, day-definite service with transit times supported by a money-back guarantee.”

And here is the official line for FedEx Home Delivery:

“Fast. Flexible. Everywhere you need to be. FedEx Home Delivery®. When shipping your package to a customer’s home, you want it at their door at the time that works best for them. With day-definite, evening and appointment delivery times you can tailor delivery to when it is convenient for your recipient. FedEx Home Delivery serves 100 percent of residential addresses even on Saturdays (at no additional charge) and evenings, and is supported by a money-back guarantee.”

They both sounds a bit similar, don't they? Basically, FedEx Ground includes only Monday to Friday delivery unless you pay extra for Saturday delivery while Home Delivery offers a Saturday delivery option at no extra charge. From what we know regarding FedEx infrastructure, the package goes on the same truck and is delivered in the same way for both delivery methods, regardless of whether it is a residential address or a commercial address. Having said that, as a retailer, you may want to consider offering both delivery options to your customers to choose from while in reality, FedEx Ground will most likely gives you and your customers cheaper shipping rates than Home Delivery. Depending on the way your delivery contract is structured with FedEx and your shipping volume, the savings can be enormous by shipping via FedEx Ground even if the destination is residential. If your residential customers require Saturday delivery, then they can choose Home Delivery instead but otherwise, FedEx Ground is almost always a cheaper option.

The SolvingMaze Advanced Shipping Calculator supports both FedEx Ground and Home Delivery as well as other delivery methods and carriers. Our technology provides an effective solution to lower shipping costs for retailers and their customers. You can start saving money on shipping by integrating the calculator to your shopping cart, ERP or WMS systems through our easy-to-use API web services for programmers. Simply pass in the weight and dimensions of the merchandise from a sales order, and the calculator will automatically determine which boxes to use for packing and shipping rates for your shipment.