Why Urban Ambiance Trusts UPS to Deliver an Excellent Customer Experience
June 30, 2026 • 4 minute read
Author: Phyllis Jackson, Senior Manager, US Marketing, UPS
Two Brothers With a Bright Idea
Brothers JT and Zak Kerns had dreams of starting a business together. As children they talked about high-fiving as they passed each other in the office and doing business their own way. After college they went their separate ways, JT working in marketing and Zak moving into the burgeoning e-commerce sector.
But after years of working in a corporate environment, both brothers got the itch to strike out on their own. From his experience working in e-commerce, Zak saw that the industry was the Wild West. He and JT knew that they would have the creative freedom to build a business they believed in and the runway to grow quickly and profitably.
That’s what drove the brothers to found Urban Ambiance, a lighting and home goods brand focused on bringing premium products to a seamless online shopping experience.
Exceptional Products Deserve Exceptional Delivery
As their business grew both in sales velocity and geographic reach, their operations became more complex. Their fulfillment network consisted of an owned facility on the West coast, a third-party logistics (3PL) partner and drop-shipping partners through various distributors.
Managing a hybrid fulfillment network became especially complex during peak sales seasons, which did not align with traditional peak holiday sales. Their sales tended to peak in the Spring and Fall as consumers were preparing for the Summer and Winter holidays. During these peak shipping seasons, Urban Ambiance saw that shipments would often be delayed at FedEx distribution centers, which frustrated customers hoping to get their homes ready in time for holiday gatherings.
A Partnership Designed to Scale
JT was already impressed with the care and attention he had received from their local UPS account manager. His local UPS contact was always available to sort through any issues and was clearly invested in creating the best possible experience for Urban Ambiance customers.
”We partner with UPS because they know that our customers are their customers, too,” JT shared. “We trust them to deliver premium service because we know that they want to see our business thrive.”
Urban Ambiance saw that the extensive UPS network paired with seamless enterprise data integration (EDI) integrations would enable them to have the reach and connectivity they needed to effectively scale their business. They also knew that for the past eight years, UPS has delivered the best average on-time performance during the peak holiday sales season, meaning their network was stress tested to meet their needs year-round.1
Urban Ambiance learned that UPS not only had an extensive and comprehensive delivery network, but they also had the flexibility to pivot when volume spiked.
“If we have an outbound shipment that’s too large for a standard package truck, UPS can send a trailer to accommodate our volume,” JT said. ”We’re confident that UPS will always be able to keep up with us no matter how much our sales fluctuate.”
Over time, they shifted more and more shipping volume away from FedEx to UPS, even leveraging a UPS subsidy provided through the UPS® Digital Connections program that they used to purchase technology for their warehouses. This partnership enabled them to integrate their fulfillment operations, improve network visibility and create a more connected shipping experience.
The Future is Bright
Urban Ambiance has an eye to capture even more market share in the changing home goods industry. The UPS network gives them room to grow not only in volume but geographic reach, and UPS’s commitment to excellence will enable them to continue to build.
1Based on a review by ShipMatrix of on-time delivery rates for UPS, FedEx and the United States Postal Service during select weeks in November and/or December from 2018-2025. Includes a mix of express and deferred shipments.
Individual results and options will vary. UPS makes no promises of any specific outcome in this document but instead provides only example outcomes based on certain UPS customer experiences.