Shipping And Logistics – The Best Valentine’s Day Wingman Of All
To those not choosing to ignore the holiday and/or their relationship status, Valentine’s Day is filled with candies, flowers, and cards bearing well-wishes and loving messages.
Yet, on one of the biggest consumer holidays of the year, many get lost in flower arrangements and overlook the processes and logistics in place to get your loved ones their gifts on time. In fact, the National Retail Federation estimates 54 percent of adults will celebrate Valentine’s Day this year – each spending an average of $136.57 on holiday-themed gifts and cards. Altogether, these purchases total $18.2 billion, approximately 27 percent of which will happen through e-commerce platforms. UPS alone plans to ship over 89 million flower stems for Valentine’s Day 2017.
So what does it take to make sure a carefully selected bouquet arrives on the doorstep of your loved one on February 14th? It’s not so simple – a system of intermodal transportation and highway infrastructure must work in perfect coordination to ensure shippers and deliverers can make it to their destination safely and efficiently.
While this love filled holiday may only highlight our infrastructure network for one day, the private and public sector will continue working together each and every day to create a safer, more efficient, and more sustainable transportation system. The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security will continue the progress tomorrow when they host a hearing with industry stakeholders on improving efficiencies throughout the nation’s multimodal transportation system. As e-commerce continues to grow, particularly during holidays like Valentine’s Day, conversations like these will become increasingly important to creating and maintaining a safe and productive transportation system.
So no matter who your Valentine is today, remember the shippers and deliverers who have a hand in every smile that comes with an on-time delivery – and if you are spending the holiday solo, go ahead and order yourself some chocolates already!