Pick-and-pack fulfillment services get goods to consumers in time, but how prepared are you for a supply chain peak season? Can your team avoid mistakes or sending out merchandise too late if sales start pouring in?
For online retailers, peak seasons can come on suddenly, depending on the niche and market locations. Putting a plan in place ahead of these spikes helps you take full advantage of these opportunities as they arise.
Let’s explore why peak season, inventory management, and logistics capacity planning matter.
The Importance of Peak Season for e-Commerce Retailers
Many e-commerce retailers get their highest sales at the end of each year. That might be due to well-planned promotions or just increased consumer spending. Whatever the reason, from a logistics standpoint, more online sales means:
- Managing higher volumes of inquiries and shipments.
- Ensuring on-time deliveries to existing and new customers.
- Operating more efficiently in stock management and replenishment.
It also means that delays and disruptions can occur when you don’t keep enough warehouse stock for these upticks. Having a logistics provider who doesn’t handle the fulfillment correctly can also add to the problem.
How To Prepare Your Supply Chain for Peak Season
Knowing how to handle peak seasons is the best way to improve your brand reputation and increase profits. Maintaining a good relationship with fulfillment providers within the supply chain makes a huge difference, but how else can you get ready for a supply chain peak season? Consider these tips:
Start Consumer Demand Forecasting
Forecasting demand streamlines e-commerce fulfillment when a peak season arrives. Why wait for the rush? Use predictive analytics on current market trends and your historical sales data to help you make a reasonable estimate of what to expect during the upcoming busy season.
Armed with these figures, you can adjust operations to accommodate everything from carrier rate fluctuations to ensuring sufficient warehouse inventory without overstocking goods.
Strengthen Your Relationship With Suppliers
You need a reliable supply chain to handle peak seasons. Before the season begins, build trust with your suppliers.
Share sales data and forecasts to help them prepare for the influx of orders. Stay in constant communication, too. Collaborating builds rapport and minimizes the risk of shipping delays later.
Embrace Technology
Warehouse optimization, inventory management, and advanced technologies go hand in hand. When it’s busy, you want automation, supply chain visibility platforms, and great transportation management systems. Managing inventory, fulfillment processes, and merchandise distribution is easier that way.
Do your current systems maximize business revenue? They can if your fulfillment team is streamlining processes, cutting costs, and ensuring accuracy.
Improve Communications
Are your suppliers and logistics providers aligned with your business goals? This minimizes operational challenges.
On the other end, providing information to consumers about potential delays, order statuses, and delivery timelines improves customer satisfaction.
Stay On Top Of Your Company’s Peak Season With Streamline Fulfillment
Need help with pick-and-pack fulfillment or better inventory management to ace your supply chain peak season? Streamline Fulfillment’s fully customizable fulfillment and warehousing services leverage advanced technology for businesses throughout the country. For storage, shipping, and logistics you can trust, call us at 509-888-2880!