Imagine running a company that has no trouble….
- March 29, 2024
Entrepreneurs form over 600,000 new businesses each year in the United States. One of the most
important obligations you have as a business owner is to ensure that your company can fulfill customer
orders promptly and without issue, regardless of the time of year.
However, this can be difficult to do during peak shipping season when demand is at its highest, and your
logistics are under the most strain.
To help you keep your business running smoothly during the peak shipping season, we’ve put together a
complete guide on how to prepare your supply chain. Let’s dive into everything you need to know.
So, What Is the Peak Shipping Season?
The peak shipping season is the period of time each year when consumer demand for goods is at its
highest. This usually occurs during the final quarter of the year, as holidays like Christmas and Halloween
drive up sales of gifts and other items.
As you might guess, this can cause supply chain issues due to the sharp increase in demand. High order
volume can put a strain on shipping carriers, making it essential that you prepare your supply chain for
this time of year
What Are the Key Segments of the Peak Shipping
Season?
In order to properly safeguard your company against shipping delays, you will need to understand the
parts of the shipping season that get the highest volume of orders. From here, you’ll be able to take the
appropriate steps. Let’s take a brief look.
Halloween
Thanksgiving is another holiday that can cause issues for businesses due to the high volume of orders. In
particular, food-related companies will see a significant uptick in business as people begin preparing for
their Thanksgiving feast. Be sure that you keep this in mind you moving forward.
Thanksgiving
A global value chain has a similar purpose, but the steps can take place across various countries rather than just a single location. This makes things more complex but can generate increased trade. It allows companies to produce specialized parts at a large scale and helps build relationships between firms.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the two biggest shopping days of the year, and as such, they see a
massive increase in online orders.
If your company sells any type of product that could be considered a holiday gift, you need to be prepared
for these two days. Otherwise, you may not be able to capitalize on this opportunity. You also run the risk
of leaving your customers dissatisfied.
Christmas
Of course, Christmas is the biggest shopping holiday of the year, which means it can also cause major
issues for businesses if they’re not prepared. Make sure you have a solid plan in place for dealing with
increased demand during this time, as it is one of the largest spikes in order volume during the holiday
season.
How Can You Prepare Your Supply Chain For Peak
Shipping Season?
Now that we’ve gone over the key parts of the peak shipping season, it’s time to talk about how you can
prepare your supply chain. By taking these steps, you’ll be able to ensure that your business can fulfill
customer orders without any issues.
Listed below are some of the most notable ways you can do so.
Stock up on Inventory
One of the most important things you can do to prepare your supply chain for peak shipping season is to
make sure you have enough inventory on hand. This will help ensure that you’re able to fulfill all customer
orders in a timely manner.
Ideally, you should start stocking up on inventory a few months before the peak shipping season begins.
This will give you plenty of time to order the products you need and get them into your warehouse. You
should also consider increasing your safety stock levels during this time of year.
This will help ensure that you have enough inventory on hand in case of any unexpected spikes in
demand.
Streamline Your Fulfillment Process
It’s essential that you take steps to streamline your fulfillment process. This will help ensure that orders
are fulfilled as quickly and efficiently as possible.
One way to streamline your fulfillment process is to use a direct-to-consumer logistics platform. These
platforms offer a number of features that can help you fulfill orders faster, such as automated order
tracking and real-time inventory updates. In addition, you should make sure your warehouse is organized
in an efficient manner.
This will help your employees fulfill orders more quickly. Finally, you should consider using automation to
help with tasks like packing and shipping orders.
Hire Additional Staff
If you’re expecting a significant increase in orders during the peak shipping season, you may need to hire
additional staff to help with fulfillment. This will help ensure that your orders are fulfilled in a timely
manner. Ideally, you should start hiring additional staff a few weeks before the peak shipping season
begins.
This will give you plenty of time to train them on your fulfillment process.
Of course, you should ensure your existing employees are properly trained on using any new fulfillment
technologies you’re using.
Preparing Your Supply Chain Doesn't Have to Be Difficult
Although getting your supply chain ready for the peak holiday season might seem daunting, it doesn’t
have to be. By taking the time to prepare in advance, you can ensure that your business can
accommodate the increased demand.
Looking for other ways we can help you out in the future? Be sure to reach out to us today and see what
we can do!
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