All Set For Peak Selling Season?

30th September 2024 In Uncategorised By Catherine

A staggering 3% of all retail sales were made in one day last year. According to the Mintle UK Black Friday Market Report, increases in the cost of living drove more buyers to splash out on a bargain. However, this was one of several peak selling days in the final weeks of 2023. Christmas shopping and post-Christmas sales kept retailers on their toes for weeks.

Prepare for Peak Selling

Now is the time to look back at your sales data and use it to forecast what the end of 2024 might bring in terms of customer purchases. Then, you can put everything in place to manage every step of the process.

Whether you are a start-up or an established e-commerce company, here are our tips to prepare for peak selling:

Update your Website

The majority of customers will visit your website to browse your offers and fill a shopping cart. So, give them the best user experience.

Firstly, ensure that your top sellers, biggest discounts and latest products take centre stage. You might also want to consider:

Product bundles, where a selection of goods are packaged together for a discounted price.
Mystery boxes, where you offer a great value selection that consumers don’t see before they buy.

Secondly, check that all links work, product reviews are updated and the purchasing process is intuitive and streamlined. That includes no unnecessary clicks or distracting pop-ups when adding to cart or making a payment.

Get Equipped for Fulfilment

When the orders start coming in, you need efficient processes to compile and send the goods. This relies on:

Logical and easy-to-access storage of stock
Sufficient packaging supplies
Enough people to delegate roles and keep the packing line flowing

You may want to arrange temps to help upscale operations through the peak selling season. If so, allow time to train them on assembling and sealing boxes, product placement and wrapping. That’s because the right packing technique goes a long way towards reducing returns.

If you have concerns about running out of shipping boxes, speak to your local packaging supplier about restocking. From experience, we can tell you that there is an increase in demand at this time of year. As a result, lead times may be longer. What’s more, there is less capacity to respond to last-minute requests.

Extend Your Shipping Times

As with packaging suppliers, all couriers will experience high demand from Black Friday through to the New Year. This can make it harder for them to achieve next-day parcel delivery. So, why not temporarily extend your shipping times and help manage expectations?

Prepare for Returns

Impulsive buying results in a percentage of goods being returned. It is useful to prepare a process for checking returned goods for damage and promptly refunding customers. Again, train those who are joining your team. This will minimise queries and delays when peak season is in full swing.

Local Fulfilment Support

If the prospect of scaling up operations is proving a logistical nightmare, why not enlist the services of a fulfilment company? We supply e-commerce packaging to two local specialists; Fulfilment Matters and Global Infusions. Both offer fulfilment solutions for small brands, as well as international enterprises.

We’d recommend Global Infusion for food and beverage products and Fulfilment Matters for non-consumables. They can support your business growth at any time of the year.

A responsive and helpful packaging manufacturer is also key to online success. If you are preparing to launch or it’s time to upgrade your boxes, get in touch. We design, manufacture and print cardboard e-commerce packaging, ready for delivery to your door.

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All Set For Peak Selling Season?