News & Insights

TOP TIPS TO REACH YOUR 'PEAK' THIS FESTIVE SEASON

Is it ever too early to start your Christmas shopping? Not in the online world.

With constant shop sales, from small independent stores to worldwide known dates turning into months such as Black Friday, Single's day and Boxing day sales. And this year is set to be the earliest peak to date, as stated by The Financial Times. The Christmas buzz is recognised to starts as early as October and runs until late January for Boxing Day sales.

Even a year later we are still seeing the repercussions of panic buying and supply chain shortages from events such as Brexit and the pandemic. This has massively impacted the retail market and has seen a change in target market as it is now not only Generation Z purchasing online. With Brick-and-mortar stores closing and being forced to create an online presence during lockdown, older generations have taken the plunge into technology and learnt to understand the online world.

As Online shopping becomes busier and has a wider audience with eyes on your website, how are retailers coping with this increase in demand in the lead up to peak shopping season? We've highlighted some top tips to help you manage your order demand this peak season.

Getting hold of your inventory.

We’ve all read the news, and lead time for supplies is currently daunting, especially if you are sourcing your stock from overseas. It’s important you allow for extended inventory delivery – the last thing you want is to waste your marketing and website investment, and not be able to get the stock on time to meet your customer demand.

Things have changed, and there is now more to consider. Particularly, if you now have to consider customs in the UK as well. There is a lot of new processes been added to your logistics since last peak. Make sure you invest time in learning the new regulations and add this into consideration when you start to order your christmas stock.

Product purchase uncertainty.

Obviously, everybody wants the best for their business, but what if you were to do even better? It’s important to embrace uncertainty and consider all the possible scenarios during peak.

If you experience an out of stock dilemma, why not focus on your customer experience – let them know you’re low on stock, and when you will be receiving more. Consumers will appreciate communication and it creates a level of trust that can easily turn into loyalty.

Ordered too much? Why not entice customers through limited time sales or start Black Friday early? This could be a game changer in your industry and result in your name standing out. Try experimenting out of the borders, who says Black Friday has to be at the end of November?

Are you targeting your audience?

The online scene is now more competitive than ever, so what are you doing to stand out from the crowd? Investing in advertising and website optimisation is a great start, but are you targeting the right audience? With a wider age audience turning to online marketplaces for their christmas shopping this year like eBay and Amazon, could your target audience have changed?

Take time to look at your latest data, where are the figures coming from, and what can you do to target your new generated audience? Some quick fixes such as simplifying your website experience, or updating your recommended products targeting seasonal products when first entering your site, could drive your sales this peak season. Creating a unique customer journey, that is easy to use and leads consumers straight to their basket is a great way to ensure they finalise a purchase.

Openness is the best policy.

Delays and mistakes happen. But it is not the end of the world, try be open with the customers and prioritise value of speed of service. Inventory management, flexible offers and optimised fulfilment can equal great customer experience. But if it does not always go your way, or our way, communicating likely delays, is more appreciative is the customer is in the loop, rather than having to justify your lack of responses weeks after their so-called parcel was meant to arrive.

So, what are the next steps to optimising your peak this season?

There is still time to make sure you are fulfilling your peak season by partnering up with logistic experts to take care of your fulfilment. At Global Reach Logistics, we prioritise our customers to create a great customer experience and optimise the journey along the way. If you’re looking for a partner this peak season, that can provide storage, warehousing and shipping solutions, get in touch with our team of experts today.