FedEx Makes the Holidays Smarter with AI-Enabled Tools, Robotics, and Predictive Technology

The holidays are a time for connection, and at FedEx, we are dedicated to making those connections happen. For more than 50 years, we have built an indispensable industrial network that keeps the world moving and makes supply chains smarter for everyone. This peak holiday season, we are bringing our global operations and digital intelligence together to give customers and end-consumers better tracking, clearer updates, and fewer surprises.

Delivering for our customers is about more than transporting packages. It’s about using real-time data and technology to create a more reliable, efficient, and intelligent shipping experience for everyone. This year, FedEx is prepared for its smartest peak yet

“Peak means as much to our customers as it does to us, and we’ve been preparing all year for another successful season together,” said Brie Carere, executive vice president and chief customer officer, FedEx. “Our incredible team of over 450,000 people and unmatched global network are primed to deliver an outstanding customer experience. This year, we are putting the power of our physical network and digital intelligence directly into the hands of our customers. Whether you are a business owner fulfilling orders across borders or a recipient waiting on that one special package, we are giving you more control, greater transparency, and total peace of mind.”

Holiday Upgrades: Smarter Shipping is at Your Fingertips
Our digital tools take stress out of holiday shipping, tracking, and returns: 

• Take Control with FedEx Delivery Manager: The FedEx Delivery Manager app puts you in the driver’s seat. Get a four-hour Estimated Delivery Time Window, access a live Map View of the driver’s location, or provide specific instructions for your delivery. For added peace of mind, you can receive immediate visual confirmation of your package’s arrival with Picture Proof of Delivery (PPOD) which is available in more than 60 countries. You can also redirect a package to a convenient location like a FedEx Office store, Walgreens, Dollar General, Albertsons, and more. Given 91% of the U.S. population lives within five miles of a FedEx-staffed location, customers can easily pick up packages or drop off returns at a nearby location. Sign up is free at fedex.com/delivery.
• Peace of Mind with Authenticated Delivery: No more doorstep anxiety for high-value shipments. For any shipper – business customer or general consumer – seeking greater security and control over deliveries, we recently introduced FedEx Authenticated Delivery: a new, paid delivery upgrade in the U.S. and Canada. This secure solution provides ultimate peace of mind by ensuring high-value packages are released only to an authorized recipient. The recipient simply presents a unique, secure QR code received via FedEx notifications to the driver at delivery, ensuring valuable packages land safely in the right hands.
• Skip the Surprise Fees with Global Trade Navigator: Our newly launched Global Trade Navigator suite of digital tools takes the complexity out of international shipping. Customers can use the free, no-login-required FedEx® Trade Planner on fedex.com to look up Harmonized System (HS) codes; estimate duties, taxes, and fees; and document recommendations before creating a shipping label. The new FedEx® Duty and Tax app on Shopify guarantees import costs right at checkout.
• FedEx® Tracking+ and FedEx® Returns+: Keeping consumers happy shouldn’t stop at the checkout button. Our new, AI-enabled post-purchase suite allows customers to host fully branded, real-time tracking pages directly on their own websites, cutting “where is my order?” support tickets. And when a package does need to go back, FedEx® Returns+ steps in to automate return policies and suggest smart, personalized exchanges, turning standard refunds into brand-new sales opportunities.
• Simple and Affordable Pricing: For package recipients and small businesses watching their holiday budgets, retail FedEx One Rate® offers simple, flat-rate pricing for overnight and FedEx 2Day® shipping – making it cheaper to ship than the Post Office and avoiding the Postal Service’s seasonal holiday price increase. Shippers can access retail One Rate online (with or without an account) or at FedEx retail locations, select from free FedEx packaging, and get reliable delivery with no surprise seasonal fees. And for heavier packages traveling shorter distances, FedEx Ground offers a fast, budget-friendly complement, typically delivering in just 1 to 2 days so you don’t have to sacrifice speed for savings.

Behind the Scenes: The Tech Powering the Holiday Magic
This holiday season and beyond, we are using AI to help orchestrate a smarter supply chain:

• Robots Doing the Heavy Lifting: We’re deploying advanced AI-powered robots to help create a safer, smarter workforce. Systems from Dexterity and Berkshire Grey are autonomously loading and unloading trailers, which helps our team members work more safely and efficiently. On the open highway, we’ve been working with Aurora since 2021 to build real-world experience with autonomous linehaul trucking and better understand how the technology could support the future FedEx network.
• Predicting the Future (Almost): We use predictive technology to spot potential equipment issues before they happen and analyze network data to route packages around bottlenecks before they can even form.
• Rerouting Around Mother Nature: Our dedicated team of 13 meteorologists works 24/7, using sophisticated modeling to stay ahead of potential weather disruptions. They work hand-in-hand with our operations team to proactively divert flights and trucks, keeping your packages moving even when the weather isn’t cooperating.

Media Toolkit & Holiday Resources
Additional Peak Season Facts and Resources:

• Ground Speed – FedEx Ground® is faster to more locations than UPS Ground.
• Weekend Coverage – FedEx Home Delivery delivers to more residential locations than UPS Ground on the weekend.
• Rural Delivery Coverage – FedEx offers more delivery services to more rural locations daily, Monday through Friday, than UPS Air and UPS Ground.
• Holiday Hiring – Our team members around the world are ready to deliver for this year’s Peak season. We continue to hire for operational positions needed in certain locations and encourage anyone interested in a career at FedEx to visit http://careers.fedex.com to see the available positions in their market.

About FedEx
FedEx is an indispensable industrial network that powers the global economy. Through proven physical scale, deep operational expertise, and specialized digital intelligence, FedEx helps customers move high-value, time-critical, and business-critical shipments with speed, precision, visibility, and reliability. FedEx makes supply chains smarter for everyone.