Holiday Business Shipping Success

About the Holiday Shipping Season

The holidays can be a wonderful but stressful time, especially for retailers. This season is known as the “peak shipping season” for a reason: it is the time when customer demands are at an all-time high. Not only do orders need to be fulfilled promptly, but inventories need to be stocked. All of this can be difficult with a volatile market and inflated prices, which affects both consumer spending and retailer inventories.

That’s why it’s important for businesses to get a head start on prepping for the holiday rush. Our tips are designed to fit your business needs, whether you’re an ecommerce shop or a brick-and-mortar storefront. And remember if you have questions that you don’t have answered here, you can always call us at (800) 716-7608 to find out how to freight ship for the holidays successfully.

Holiday Order Fulfillment Tips

There are a lot of tips and tricks for businesses fulfilling orders for the holidays. Here are the key tips you need to know:

• Keep up with inventory and shipping supplies. Check in with your suppliers about any potential impacts they may be facing due to the pandemic or weather issues, increased demand, or possible changes to their shipping capacity.
• Get ready for possible business and shipping disruptions, such as dangerous winter weather, shipping issues, and a need for increased staff for the holidays, by having a plan.
• Utilize reverse logistics to help your customers in returning items. Satisfied customers are more likely to do business with you again.
• Think about offering curbside or contactless pickup options for local customers who have ordered items from your retail location because survey data shows that half of the consumers are looking for contactless pickup options.

Holiday Business Shipping Success Tips

Knowing the sales predictions and holiday fulfillment tips above will help you make a plan for holiday business shipping success. You can develop a holiday shipping plan that will save money on shipping, get your goods delivered on time and keep customers happy. Here are some holiday business shipping success tips and best practices:

• Ship your orders as quickly as possible. Once you receive an order for a product, work with your team to get it packaged and shipped quickly. Delivery expectations are at an all-time high during the holidays, and slow or delayed shipments are not tolerated as well.
• Be clear about any holiday shipping cutoff dates you have. Your customers need to know when they need to place an order by, so it arrives on time for the holidays.
• Package your commonly ordered or most popular items early. Mark the weight of the package on the box, so all you have to do is put a shipping label on it when an order comes in.
• Know your shipping supply inventory levels. This is so important to shipping efficiently during the holidays. You don’t want run low on packaging and shipping materials during the busiest time of year. Make sure you have what you need before you run out. For added packaging guidance, visit our free Guide to Freight Packaging.
• Prioritize your business shipping. There’s no need to run all over town to get your packages shipped. Work with a 3PL who can streamline your shipping process for you. A 3PL, like FreightCenter, can help you find the discounted rates with top carriers, source capacity and keep all your important paperwork in one convenient location.
• Communicate clearly with everyone. This includes your employees, suppliers, customers, and 3PL partners. You may have special requests during the holidays or are operating under limited capacity due to the pandemic, and everyone needs to be on the same page. When you ship a package, consider letting your customer know it has shipped. Use your 3PL’s transportation management system to track your shipment.