Package-delivery giant United Parcel Service is introducing a new service that accommodates consumers? busy lifestyles and lets them control their deliveries via a mobile device.

The UPS My Choice service helps increase the likelihood of a successful delivery on the first attempt by providing delivery alerts and specific time frames to a computer or handset. The company believes that the new mobile services will help consumers stay on top of their packages.

?UPS My Choice gives consumers control over package delivery to better fit their lives,? said Donna Longino, a spokeswoman for UPS, Atlanta.

UPS is a worldwide package delivery company. The company serves more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.

New features
UPS believes that firms that use its service will appreciate the new tool, which helps customers receive their packages on the first delivery attempt.

The new service will be available on Oct. 3.

Consumers can continually check the status of their delivery via their mobile device to stay updated.

?Consumers are mobile so we're giving the access to this new service via http://m.ups.com and by automatically receiving delivery alerts on their mobile devices the day before the first delivery attempt,? Ms. Longino said. 

Mobile past
UPS is no stranger to mobile.

In 2009 the company launched an iPhone shipping application that lets consumers track and ship packages and find UPS retail stores.

The iPhone application lets consumers with a My UPS account create shipping labels that can be emailed in PDF format for printing. Consumers can also track their history of shipments (see story).

A year later UPS extended its UPS Mobile suite of applications and mobile Web site content to customers in Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Canada.

The Web site and native smartphone applications let customers ship and track packages as well as find the nearest UPS location. The announcement was timed to coincide with the holiday season, when shipping and tracking is top of mind for consumers (see story).

The UPS MyChoice service is being promoted it through digital advertising.

?We're also working with large shippers like QVC to promote it to their customers,? Ms. Longino said.

?And since we deliver to about 100 million residential addresses every year, we're promoting the service through our own internal channels,? she said. 

Final Take
Rimma Kats is staff reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York