Does Australia Post Deliver on Saturdays in 2024?

Online shopping has exploded in recent years. And most savvy modern retailers know that fast, reliable shipping is just as important as a smooth ecommerce experience when it comes to keeping customers happy.

So does Australia Post, the national postal service, deliver items on Saturdays to meet this demand for speedy deliveries? The short answer is yes, Australia Post does offer Saturday delivery for prepaid Express Post parcels within metro areas and some regional zones.

In this detailed guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about Australia Post’s parcel delivery capabilities on Saturdays.

Here’s what we’ll look at specifically:

• An overview of whether Saturday counts as a business day for Australia Post
• How the Express Post Saturday Delivery service works
• Where Saturday delivery is available and delivery windows
• Why offering weekend shipments makes sense for online shops
• How to set up WooCommerce for Australia Post Saturday delivery
• Who specifically needs Australia Post’s Saturday shipping service

So if you’re looking to speed up shipping times for ecommerce orders or just want to understand if your packages can arrive on weekends, read on for the full scoop.

Is Saturday Considered a Business Day for Australia Post Deliveries?

Before we look specifically at Saturday deliveries, it helps to understand Australia Post’s definition of a “business day”. This simply refers to days on which mail and parcel delivery services are operational.

By default, Australia Post observes business days as weekdays from Monday to Friday. Most outlets are closed weekends and public holidays. And delivery services have historically followed this Monday to Friday schedule.

However, in response to the ecommerce boom and rising consumer expectations for faster shipping, Australia Post has expanded operations to make Saturday an additional delivery day for select parcel types.

While Sunday delivery remains rare, the introduction of Express Post Saturday Delivery effectively makes Saturday a standard business day in the eyes of Australia Post when it comes to processing weekend orders for metro and many regional customers.

Does Australia Post Deliver Express Post Items on Saturdays?

Australia Post historically operated delivery services from Monday to Friday only, excluding weekends and public holidays. But increased demand for speedy shipping led to the introduction of Express Post Saturday Delivery, making weekend deliveries a reality in metro areas and some regional zones.

Here’s a quick rundown of how Australia Post’s Express Post Saturday Delivery service works if you’re looking to ship customer orders on weekends:

• Eligible prepaid Express Post parcels can be delivered on Saturdays at no extra fee when sent before the cut-off time on Fridays
• Apply a free “Saturday delivery” sticker available from local post offices and Australia Post’s online shop
• The sender’s address and receiver’s address must be located in the same state
• Delivery areas include metro cities and [list of covered regional areas]
• Most Saturday deliveries occur between 9:00AM and 1:00PM
• Orders must be lodged by Friday 5PM in delivery zones
• Not available for PO boxes or locked bags

So in summary, Express Post items sent by Friday evening can now arrive on Saturdays for online shoppers thanks to this convenient delivery option targeted at ecommerce parcel volume demands.

What Areas and Postcodes Are Included in Australia Post’s Saturday Delivery Zone?

As we mentioned above, Australia Post leverages its Express Post infrastructure to enable Saturday deliveries mostly to metro areas and some regional cities. Not all locations are included in this weekend delivery zone as of 2024.

In terms of specific suburbs and towns covered, Australia Post has published a list of postcodes currently supported by Express Post Saturday Delivery.

Rather than reproduce what is a rather lengthy document, we recommend linking directly to Australia Post’s postcode eligibility page to check if your area falls within the Saturday delivery boundaries.

The coverage spans major metro areas like Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide while also extending to smaller satellite cities and regional centres. As parcel delivery demand rises, Australia Post continues to roll out expanded postcode availability for Saturday shipments.

So double check your specific suburb against Australia Post’s live listings before assuming weekend delivery is accessible. Large portions of Australia can receive Express shipments on Saturdays already while coverage grows over time.

What Are the Delivery Hours for Australia Post on Saturdays?

Assuming your location falls within Australia Post’s Saturday delivery zone, what window of time can you expect parcels to arrive on weekends?

The vast majority of Express Post shipments processed for Saturday delivery are made during the following block:

• Saturday deliveries typically occur between 9AM and 1PM
• No Sunday deliveries offered as standard
• Weekday delivery continues as normal Mon-Fri

So customers can track their packages and make themselves available on Saturday mornings/early afternoons if a weekend delivery has been requested via the Express Post Saturday Delivery option.

Of course, delays can happen and estimated delivery times may vary. But the bulk of runs occur during that 4 hour window after 9AM on Saturdays. No regular Sunday service is available except during exceptional peak periods like Christmas when additional temporary weekend resources are deployed.

Does Australia Post Make Deliveries on Public Holidays and Weekends?

Given Australia Post remains government-owned and operated as an essential public service, official public holidays impact opening hours and delivery schedules when they happen to fall on weekends.

The usual protocol is:

• Most post offices and facilities closed on public holidays
• No mail delivery or parcel delivery services on public holidays
• Weekend deliveries also suspended during public holiday long weekends

So while Saturday now counts officially as a “business day”, deliveries will remain halted if there is an overlapping public holiday. For example, if New Year’s Day or Australia Day happen to fall on a Saturday, no weekend shipping can occur.

The only temporary exemption is adding potential delivery runs in the frantic lead-up to Christmas when volumes spike dramatically. Australia Post has been known to put on extra temporary weekend resources to cope with peak online shopping demand around Black Friday and pre-holiday sales. But public holidays remain generally excluded.

Why Choose Saturday Delivery for Your Online Store?

We’ve covered the logistical side of how Australia Post’s Express Post infrastructure now supports Saturday delivery for prepaid parcel shipments meeting location and cut-off time criteria.

But what are the actual benefits for online stores offering this faster weekend turnaround when customers purchase items?

Here are some of the core reasons adding Australia Post Saturday shipping makes sense:

• Meets buyer expectations for quicker delivery – Customers increasingly want faster shipping, something overnight or next day. By leveraging Saturday delivery, stores can meet demanding standards.
• Avoid losing sales from lack of weekend option – Research suggests consumers will actually abandon carts if no weekend shipping is presented at checkout. So it closes sales.
• Reduces workload spikes on Mondays – Having the ability to process some orders on Saturdays spreads fulfillment loads.
• One-up competitors without weekend shipping – As more buyers want their items rapidly, offering Saturday delivery gives stores an edge.
• Encourages higher value orders – Faster and premium delivery options have been shown to increase average order values as customers accept paying a little more for urgent shipping.

In an environment of growing buyer impatience, utilizing Australia Post’s weekend delivery capabilities allows online retailers to rise above competing stores lacking quick shipping alternatives.

And for customers themselves, the peace of mind knowing a missed package won’t ruin their weekend plans removes a massive friction point at checkout. It’s win-win all around for both shoppers and store owners when Saturday deliveries enter the equation.

How to Set Up Australia Post Saturday Delivery in WooCommerce

If we’ve convinced you of the many benefits available by upgrading to Australia Post weekend shipping for your customers, how do you actually enable Express Post Saturday Delivery in your store backend?

For any retailers running their online shops using the popular WooCommerce plugin for WordPress, integrating Australia Post functionality is thankfully straightforward.

We recommend Post Parcels as a great commercial extension that hooks directly into WooCommerce and connects your store to the full suite of Australia Post shipping options without headaches.

In terms of specifics, some of the key features that enable leveraging same day and weekend delivery include:

• Automatically display Australia Post Express Post Saturday Delivery during checkout for eligible destinations
• Allow customers to see estimated delivery days for weekend inclusion on your product pages
• Set a shipping cut-off time for Friday Express Post lodgement for Saturday delivery batching
• Generate shipping labels with Saturday Delivery stickers
• Select variable sizes to match your ecommerce product range
• Save customer locations for faster repeat checkout experiences

With the ability to showcase precise delivery expectations right when customers are reviewing their carts, stores create transparency around weekend availability while encouraging buyers to select those faster options.

You can learn more about setting up the extension here if managing WooCommerce shipping yourself or engage a specialist ecommerce developer to handle the integration. Either way, unlocking Australia Post’s Saturday delivery powers is straightforward for WordPress retailers.

Wrapping Up: Who Needs Australia Post’s Saturday Delivery Service?

We’ve now covered the core details around Australia Post offering parcel deliveries on Saturdays through its Express Post priority infrastructure in metro and select regional locations:

• Prepaid Express shipments can be delivered on Saturdays when meeting location, cutoff times and labeling requirements
• Eligible postcodes span major metro areas plus some smaller cities and country centres
• Most Saturday deliveries happen between 9AM and 1PM excluding public holiday long weekends
• Fast weekend shipping makes customers extremely happy while growing average order values

Expanding on those key points, the reality in 2024 is consumers have an expectation for speed when shopping online. They want options for next day, same day or weekend turnaround when possible.

Australia Post identified this ecommerce trend years ago which led to introducing Saturday parcel processing and deliveries through their priority Express Post infrastructure. While Sunday shipping remains unlikely, Saturday counts as an eligible business day.

So any retailers selling online that want to make the shipping component as frictionless as possible while staying competitive should be taking advantage of Australia Post’s weekend delivery capabilities.

It checks the box for customers wanting speed while giving stores the ability to process extra orders on Saturdays instead of having 100% of sales pile up for Monday mornings.

For online shoppers themselves, remember to check your location against Australia Post’s Saturday delivery zone. Have your order in by Friday 5PM and be available Saturday morning if selecting the Express Post weekend option.

And there you have it – our definitive guide to answering whether Australia Post can deliver your parcels on Saturdays. Feel free to share with any other ecommerce store owners or online buyers wanting to leverage faster weekend shipping.