FedEx Ground Celebrates Record-Setting Holiday Shopping Season With Opening Bell Ringing at the NYSE

MEMPHIS, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The online holiday shopping season is breaking records this year, as more and more buyers use a mouse—not the mall—to find the perfect gift for loved ones near and far. For hundreds of online retailers, the final days of the holiday season will be punctuated by today’s official celebration of “Free Shipping Day,” a consumer event that first appeared in 2008, helping remind procrastinating shoppers that the window for holiday deals with no-charge deliveries was coming to a close. “Free Shipping Day” drove more than $1 billion in web-based retail sales in 2011.

“We are especially proud of our team members in the New York area who have shown tremendous resolve in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, and we are pleased that many of them could be a part of today’s bell-ringing.”

Online shopping is setting records—totaling more than $29.3 billion in the 2012 holiday season to-date and a 13 percent increase versus the corresponding days last year, according to comScore. FedEx Ground, with its FedEx Home Delivery and FedEx SmartPost services, helps web-based retailers swiftly and cost-effectively deliver millions of gifts in time for the holidays.

To celebrate the continued growth of the holiday season at FedEx Ground, team members from around the New York area will ring the NYSE opening bell today.

“We’re very proud of the people across the entire FedEx network making the holidays happen. Their commitment and efforts are ensuring we seamlessly deliver Christmas during our busiest season ever,” said Dave Rebholz, president and CEO, FedEx Ground. “We are especially proud of our team members in the New York area who have shown tremendous resolve in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, and we are pleased that many of them could be a part of today’s bell-ringing.”

FedEx Ground and FedEx SmartPost are major enablers of the free shipping offers touted by e-tailers during the holidays and all year round. With several studies confirming that the cost of shipping can weigh on a shopper’s decision to purchase online or in-store, “Free Shipping Day” drove sizable results in its first year and has continued to grow, now encompassing special deals from more than 1,000 web-based retailers.

Though the deadline for money-back-guaranteed pre-Christmas delivery via FedEx Ground is today, December 17, procrastinators still have options. More than 82 percent of all packages shipped via FedEx Ground are delivered in three business days or less. Plus, last-minute shoppers and shippers have until Saturday, December 22, to ship items via FedEx Express for delivery in the continental U.S. on December 24.

About FedEx Ground

FedEx Ground, a part of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX), is a leader in cost-effective, small-package ground shipping, offering dependable service to businesses and residential customers throughout the U.S. and Canada. FedEx Ground is faster to more locations than UPS and includes FedEx Home Delivery for residential customers and FedEx SmartPost specializing in the delivery of low-weight packages from businesses to residential customers through a partnership with the U.S. Postal Service®. FedEx Ground includes approximately 50,000 employees and a network of more than 520 distribution hubs and local pickup-and-delivery stations. There are more than 30,000 motorized vehicles that transport approximately 5.6 million packages daily. The company reported annual revenue of $9.5 billion in fiscal year 2012.

About FedEx Corp.

FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual revenues of $43 billion, the company offers integrated business applications through operating companies competing collectively and managed collaboratively, under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the world's most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 300,000 team members to remain "absolutely, positively" focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. For more information, visit news.fedex.com.