Four ingredients for creating a successful peak season

Each year, we hear companies talking about some common pain points: labour shortages, bottlenecks, lack of space and running out of packaging materials. And when the pressure is on, no one wants to be dealing with these problems. They invariably lead to rushing, which leads to mistakes, which lead to higher costs, damages, and unhappy customers.

Could lack of preparation be costing you your slice of the pie?

Online retail sales continue to rise and are expected to account for 38.1% of all UK retail sales by 2025 – that’s a value of £152 million*. That’s a very big pie that you don’t want to miss out on.

So, how do you make sure you get your slice of that pie this peak? As with most things, preparation is everything. From our years of experience supporting e-commerce and 3PL customers through peak, we understand the challenges of this busiest of seasons. We also know how to overcome them and how to make the most of the opportunity it presents in creating memorable customer experiences that will keep them coming back throughout the year.

It’s all about having the right ingredients.

Here’s a run-down of the four ingredients for creating a tasty peak season

1. Prepare

The sooner you start your preparations the better. Before you start planning this year, look back on last year – what went well and what didn’t – and prepare accordingly. Map out possible scenarios.

2. Plan

Planning requires getting out into the warehouse and onto the operations floor to see how those scenarios might manifest themselves and what you can do to avoid issues. Having a good supplier with plenty of experience, and who takes the time to understand your business, can pay dividends at this stage. So, if you haven’t already, get in touch with them to find out the kind of support they offer.

3. Promote

It’s peak buying time and competition is fierce, so you want to make sure your packaging stands out for the right reasons. Take advantage of the latest in environmentally responsible packaging materials, and the retail estate offered by e-commerce packaging to promote your brand and create an unboxing experience your customers will remember.

4. Pack

Getting your packaging materials right and your packing operations as efficient as they can be is key to speedy but effective packing. A slick packing operation comes down to the set-up of the packing stations and making sure you’re producing consistent output – including making sure boxes are square and not using too much or too little packing material – well-chosen machinery can help here.

For the full run-down of ingredients needed to ensure you get your slice of the pie, download our Quick Guide to Planning for Peak below.

*https://www.forbes.com/uk/advisor/business/ecommerce-statistics/