UPS (UPS) - Get Report is starting Saturday ground shipments in the U.S., executives said at an investor conference in New York on Tuesday.

The company will offer Saturday delivery options to the largest U.S. metropolitan areas and has begun the rollout throughout the country. The package delivery company expects to reach half of the U.S. population by the end of the year with the new schedule, said Myron Gray, president of U.S. operations. The service will give UPS six delivery, sort and pickup days for both business and residential customers and the "fastest and widest delivery service on Monday," Gray added.

The rapid rise of e-commerce has been both good and bad for UPS and other delivery companies. It has given way to a flood of new volume and revenue, but usually at lower margins than business-to-business deliveries. In its quarterly report last month, UPS said a "significant shift" to its lower-revenue offerings and ongoing investment in new technologies weighed on results. But U.S. domestic fourth-quarter revenue rose 6.3%, driven by e-commerce.

"The shift online is permanent," UPS CEO David Abney at Tuesday's event, adding that the trend is accelerating.

UPS will also be investing aggressively in automation to drive improved performance. Yesterday, the company tested a residential delivery via drone.

Additionally, the company gave guidance for 2018 to 2019. Revenue is expected to grow between 4% and 6% over the period. Adjusted earnings per diluted share are projected to increase 5% to 10%. UPS is planning $1 billion to $1.8 billion in annual share repurchases.