Before understanding how to deal with the Christmas period from a logistical and organizational point of view, it is of fundamental importance to have a clear picture of the most frequent problems, the three main ones are:
Increase in orders: the demand for products and services in this period of the year multiplies and online orders grow significantly, risking difficulties in the warehouse. The most common problems that can arise from this sudden increase are delays in shipments, goods running out of stock and operating cycles with poor efficiency.
Speed in delivery: the increase in orders requires a quick and timely response, especially if you consider that during the Christmas period users will not tolerate excessive delays, worried about not being able to get gifts to recipients.In this scenario, shipments in 24 hours become increasingly crucial, which obviously require good organizational skills and the need to speed up all cycles, from package preparation to delivery, coping with all operations related to logistics.
Inverse Logistics: especially when operating online, the ratio between the number of orders and returns is directly proportional. Therefore, it is important to have a space available to carry out all activities, which allows you to efficiently manage your processes to reduce the associated costs.
So how should you optimize logistics during the Christmas period to increase sales in e-commerce? Let us see in detail some actions you can put in place to face the peak demand at this particular time of the year.
How to best manage your e-commerce at Christmas
The first step in preparing e-commerce for Christmas is to set up the warehouse optimally, so as to provide an excellent service, capable of always responding in a timely and precise manner to the increase in orders. Here are some strategic points to be respected in order to succeed:
Increase the space. The peak in demand at Christmas requires an increase in space and infrastructure. Therefore, it becomes essential to evaluate the possibility of outsourcing the warehouse, relying on a partner able to manage logistics, so as to limit unexpected events and offer an excellent service to your customers.
Automizing processes. To reduce operating costs at this stage of the year, it is also possible to automate most of the operating cycles to increase their efficiency. One way to do this is to use tools that facilitate order management by automating the various processes, from logistics to shipping.
Manage stock with software. To reduce errors, it is particularly useful to use warehouse management software, which, if on the one hand it can help to optimize operations and manage the stock efficiently, on the other hand it can be useful to limit unexpected events, thanks above all to the constant monitoring of activities.
Optimize your website. The loading page speed of your site is essential to ensure a pleasant browsing experience for customers: for this reason, it is essential to optimize the user experience, improve navigability and renew the graphics of the site during the holiday season.
Another way to be able to obtain all four results and arrive prepared for Christmas is to outsource logistics services, so as to guarantee impeccable service at every stage of the supply chain and reduce fixed costs. Mail Boxes Etc. helps you to optimize all processes related to logistics, shipping, but also graphics and printing to allow you to obtain excellent performance even during seasonal peaks. Through the MBE Network of Entrepreneurs, we offer a complete and flexible service that covers all operational aspects of your warehouse, from collection to storage and assembly of materials, to document management, up to professional packaging and shipping. To better manage your e-commerce shipments, you can also install the MBE e-LINK plug in: it directly connects your online store to MBE systems and helps you to offer different services and types of shipments to your customers, allowing you to automate each process. Thanks to the inventory of stocks and any returns, using our update reports you can keep everything under control, saving time and money.
Contact the MBE Center nearest to you to discover the best solutions for your e-commerce.
