Boxes, Bytes, and Barcodes
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What makes our package labels “smart”?
UPS realized more than a decade ago that in order to achieve the level of automation required to serve customers most efficiently, information about a customer's package would have to make the transition from paper to digital. Enter the "smart" label.
The smart label gives us an overview of where a package is going, and when it needs to get there. Loaded with information, the label contains barcodes, distinctive alphanumeric sequences, and omnidirectional 2D symbology readable by scanning cameras. Customers can print and apply the labels themselves, saving time and ensuring accurate delivery details are entered clearly.
One-to-one
The Internet opened up a new aspect to the power and value of the information we had always captured and kept internally. It gave us a ubiquitous interface to display that information for our customers’ benefit, beyond the value it already gave them and us in making our service more efficient.
The surge of e-business was a major catalyst for the way UPS does business today. It was clear early on that the Internet was a key channel for reaching and empowering customers. We launched UPS.com in 1994. Currently, our flagship Web site receives an average of 14.5 million page views per business day.
The Internet continues to be a significant driver in two market trends: globalization and personalization. We have developed our corporate strategy to capitalize on both these trends. We are growing our business globally by building personalized – what UPS president and CEO Mike Eskew calls “one-to-one” – relationships with our customers. Our goal is to treat each customer, each package, and each transaction as if it were the only one we have. Our one-to-one business strategy drives our technology applications. Online technology gives us agility, and allows us to respond to customers' needs quickly and easily.
The statistical information included here was current at the time it was published in 2007. To see more recent statistics, visit our pressroom.
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Anatomy of a Shipping Label
Here’s an overview of the elements that comprise a UPS shipping label:
- Routing Code: This code tells us how to route a package within a UPS building.
- Postal Bar Code: The linear version features the zip code for the package's destination.
- Service Icon: This symbol indicates the package level of service (1DA, 2DA etc.) without reading any other text on the label.
- MaxiCode: This machine-readable code can be understood regardless of its direction. It uses 2D symbology for such information as postal code, country code, service class (1DA etc), tracking number, Julian date, package quantity and weight, address validation, and ship street, city and state.
- 1Z tracking number: This code lets a customer follow a package as it moves through our system. A 1Z tracking number identifies the customer shipper number, package service level, and customer reference number.
