Peak Season Checklist:
10 ways to guarantee success in 2024

Peak season shouldn’t be feared by retailers, e-commerce businesses, or logistics providers. Higher demand does mean higher sales, after all – and that should always be welcomed. However, peak season must be prepared accordingly if organizations are to turn the challenges of this period into opportunities.

To make the most of peak season, we’ve compiled the below tips:

1. Early planning

Knowing the challenges that accompany peak season is one thing. Preparing for them is another. Start planning as early as possible to manage a spike in demand. Make additional space in your warehouse, forecast your stock levels, and prepare your pricing adjustments – not just for your products but also taking into account changes in shipping costs.

2. Integration with trusted partners

Working closely with carriers and logistics partners you trust will help make peak season a much smoother experience. Strong relationships will help you secure the capacity you need to meet higher customer demands during this period. Create strategic partnerships to gain better visibility over the entire supply chain.

3. Combine a carrier mix

Choosing multiple carriers to fulfil orders during busy periods means your parcels are less likely to be impacted by delay or disruption. If one of your carriers can’t fulfil an order in a way that meets customer expectations, perhaps another can. Select specialized carriers for specific volumes and weight combinations to avoid high rates.

Consider adding same-day and express carriers to reduce the risks of delays during peak times.

Another option is to contact your carrier to request additional pick-up capacity, such as transitioning from a van to a trailer or a stationary trailer with multiple pick-ups throughout the day.

The solutions department can help inject directly into carrier hubs in countries abroad to avoid local delays.

4. Monitor delivery data in real-time

Wuunder Parcel Radar

November and December are the busiest months of the year in the parcel world. Wuunder’s Parcel Radar shows delays per week from 1 November to 24 December in the Netherlands. If you want to stay up to date on the parcel rush and gain insights in real-time during the peak season in 2024, subscribe here. This way, you can continue to provide the best service to your customers.

Paazl Data Dashboards

Paazl customers have access to data dashboards to stay on top of their shipping performance during Peak Season. They can track and analyze valuable data such as Shipping Volumes, Shipment Tracking and Carrier Performance (see example below). These insights can help customers adjust their delivery strategy during peak season.

Paazl Data Dashboards

5. Add out-of-home delivery to your delivery options

Out-of-home delivery is becoming increasingly popular with consumers, largely due to a delivery success rate of around 99%. During peak season, expect customers to want a variety of delivery options. Adding out-of-home delivery locations, whether smart parcel lockers or Pick-Up and Drop-Off (PUDO) Points, is a good idea for facilitating demand during peak season.

6. Extend your delivery dates

Not all customers need same-day or even next-day delivery. In fact, research from the UK has found that the average shopper is willing to wait as long as 6.7 days to receive their order. It’s about a good delivery experience, not necessarily the fastest one. During peak season, look to ease the delivery burden a little by offering customers a slower delivery option, perhaps at a more affordable price.

7. Double-check special holiday opening hours

Peak season, which includes days like Sinterklaas and Christmas, will not only result in more purchases but also be punctuated by country-wide holidays. Before giving customers an ETA for their delivery, make sure you’ve checked holiday opening hours across your relevant markets. Will your carrier be operating? Will the PUDO the customer selected be open?

Also, make sure to check the opening hours of your fulfilment operation and incorporate extended pick-and-pack times into the predicted delivery date.

8. Create a plan to handle returns

We know that peak season results in higher sales, but e-commerce firms must also accept that this will lead to a higher rate of returns, too. During the 2023 holiday season, for example, a return rate of 15.4% was recorded. Make sure you are prepared to receive and process returns quickly to ensure customers receive their refunds on time and you can redistribute products where possible.

9. Clear communication

Whatever approach you take to managing peak season, whether it’s extending your delivery dates or adopting a new returns policy, make sure you communicate it clearly to customers. The majority of e-commerce customers (79%) feel it’s important to receive information regarding the progress of their deliveries. Don’t let miscommunication or a lack of transparency lead to a poor customer experience.

10. Customer service

This is another area that may come under strain during peak season. You should expect more inquiries during this time as the orders start piling up. Prepare backup communication about potential delays and incorporate it into your communication flow. Like that, you prevent customers from contacting your customer service department.
You may want to increase the number of customer service agents you use and, at the very least, ensure they are knowledgeable about promotions, delivery times, and anything that may have changed recently due to peak season. If you’re looking to proactively track and monitor shipments during peak season, Wuunder might have the right solution for you. Click here to read more.

Download our whitepaper: Prepare for peak season delivery

Paazl builds shipping software for the best delivery experience in the world. Leading brands & retailers in e-commerce use Paazl’s exception checkout technology to power their last-mile delivery. Paazl enables logistical flexibility, consumer loyalty, cost transparency and (inter)national growth. Customers include industry leaders such as Puma, G-Star Raw, Rituals, Tag Heuer, and Under Armour.