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Thanksgiving is historically the unofficial kick-off of the busiest time of year in U.S. e-commerce. As retailers push suppliers with record holiday purchases, the pressure on logistics builds — particularly in the distant part of the country that has always been perceived as the hard-to-reach areas.
According to Adobe Analytics, U.S. online shoppers on Thanksgiving Day 2024 spent $6.1 billion, up nearly 9 % year-over-year. This is a good reminder that customers expect fast, affordable delivery no matter where they live. International Bridge stands prepared to help retailers meet that challenge.
Thanksgiving surge: high volume, high expectations
Thanksgiving season is the one time where meticulous behind the scenes work becomes essential for all of it that matters.
And nowhere is that truer than in the non-continental U.S. delivery — where infrastructure, routes and weather render logistics uniquely complex.
This is why IB niche matters more than ever.
- Trusted transit to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and U.S. territories.
- Tracking and scanning our assets end-to-end.
- Pay-Only-When-Scanned Label System; reduces waste during peak volumes.
- Own Air Cargo division, making faster uplift and better linehaul speed and reliability control possible.
Where many carriers slow down during the holidays, IB opts for agility.
Rethinking access: how about Non-Con to Mainland & smart transit options
Holiday demand is driving shippers to move out of traditional networks. That’s why our solutions — IB Non-Con and Non-Con to Mainland are engineered to meet the real-life needs of high-volume e-commerce brands. These offer retailers:
- 2–5-day delivery windows.
- More reliable routing at peak.
- Alternative uplift options when domestic networks get jammed.
- No high rural surcharges.
And finally: Higher customer satisfaction during the most important season of the year.
How retailers can prepare (and how IB can help)
To simplify, here are actionable readiness steps — and where IB stands.
✔ Have an early forecast and find lanes at a high-risk. Non-con lanes behave differently — we help customers discover predictable bottlenecks.
✔ Keep labels optimized & returns in check. We use a Pay-Only-When-Scanned system for minimizing waste and eliminating unnecessary label fees.
✔ Non-continental inventory planning is frequently siloed. We provide island-specific insights on how to reduce backlogs.
✔ Utilize transparency-giving platforms. IB real-time scanning + our Print&Ship platform provides ongoing visibility over the season.
Note of gratitude
We thank our partners who trust us with their most critical deliveries, our incredible dedicated teams across mainland and island locations, and every customer who decides to service customers outside the continental U.S.
We believe that holiday peak isn’t just a challenge — it’s an opportunity to demonstrate what reliability genuinely means.
If you plan for the holiday season (or 2026) as we prepare for them with our team, IB is here, thankful for what is there and what is coming and more than ready to help.
Thank you for trusting us this season and beyond.
If you plan for the holiday season (or 2026) as we prepare for them with our team, IB is here – ready to help.
https://www.myib.com/contact-us
✨Happy Thanksgiving! ✨
