How to Prepare for Seasonal Order Spikes

However, seasonal demand peaks, which occur in certain periods of the year such as Black Friday, Cyber ​​Monday or Christmas, are an important test for companies, called upon to satisfy an ever-increasing number of requests while maintaining high standards such as ensuring that shipments are fast and safe, that the warehouse can handle the increase in orders and that any customer problems are handled quickly.

This year, according to Forbes, American consumers will spend between $295.1 billion and $297.9 billion during the holidays, an increase of 9% compared to the same period last year, in line with a growing trend that continues season on season.So how do you prepare to manage the seasonal peaks in orders that occur in view of the holidays? The risk is being caught unprepared and providing a service below expectations, transforming a precious opportunity into an unpleasant experience capable of not only deterring a potential customer from purchasing but also damaging the brand's reputation in the long term. Anticipation, planning, flexibility, coordination and efficiency are elements to be put in place to manage peaks in orders and satisfy requests: let us examine how to intervene.

4 Tips for managing seasonal E-Commerce sales spikes

Stock the warehouse adequately. A large and well-stocked catalogue is a strategic factor for attracting the attention of those who are looking for products to buy and are evaluating alternatives before purchasing. To meet the increase in requests during the holidays, it is therefore necessary to act promptly to guarantee ample availability of the most requested items: a no sale due to the exhaustion of available goods is an eventuality to be limited. To adequately manage seasonal peaks in online orders, it is necessary to have adequate and spacious infrastructure, software capable of optimizing storage and offering real-time data on the quantity of goods in stock, so as to have the online shop always supplied (and restocked). E-commerce sites that do not have locations with sufficiently large warehouses can outsource the service, deciding to focus on the experience of specialized companies, capable of offering not only places to store goods, but also management and technologies capable of optimizing logistics processes to limit any unforeseen events and always offer high standards of service to their customers.

Strengthen Logistics. To deal with the peaks in orders that occur in the period preceding the holidays adequately, it is important to be able to count on efficient logistics that can adapt to the needs of the moment. Those who sell online know the importance of punctual delivery, an element that becomes essential when purchases are closely linked to an anniversary or a special event. But behind a package that arrives on time and on the scheduled day there is a supply chain that can work efficiently and precisely regardless of the time of year or any peaks. In this context, express courier shipments are of crucial importance, capable of guaranteeing deliveries within 24/48 hours from the moment an order is received: according to a study published by NRF, 65% of American consumers add an item to their cart only after checking the shipping policies. It is therefore necessary for an e-commerce business to optimize shipping management, from packaging to the documentation that will accompany the goods. It could be of great importance to rely on partners who work in the shipping sector and are able to utilize multiple couriers, choosing the most suitable one based on the type of goods to be shipped (or other factors), to guarantee the customer a high level of efficiency, especially during order peaks.

Take care of pre- and post-sales customer service. This phenomenon is known as the “Anticipation Effect”. It is therefore important to be able to count on precise information and customer service that can dispel any doubts, facilitating the consumer purchasing process. Efficiency in returns management is also fundamental, an aspect that can impact both logistical aspects and those related to the perception of the quality of the service and therefore the image of the company, proposing simple and timely solutions to allow customers' needs to be met quickly.

Automate order management steps. To maintain high quality standards during seasonal peaks when the holidays are arriving, it is important to rely on an expert partner capable of managing shipping, packaging, logistics, e-commerce and much more.

Mail Boxes Etc e-commerce logistics services allow you to take advantage of a complete and flexible service that includes warehouse management, storage and packaging of goods up to the management of online returns, both nationally and internationally. Contact us to find the right solution for you!