Many of us are surprised to see how each year the shopping centers seem to advance the arrival of Christmas a few days. We have not taken off our swimsuit when they are already announcing all the imaginable paraphernalia to decorate our houses or they invite us to renew our winter coats. However, in the world of logistics it is advisable to follow this line and oversight (in fact, if you already see Christmas objects in stores it is because logistics has already done its job).
For many companies it is the busiest time of the year, especially for online businesses. That is why we have prepared a series of tips for your e-commerce for the end of the year.
Tips for your ecommerce to survive Christmas
plan
We have started by explaining that it is healthy for supply chains to anticipate the arrival of Christmas. But not only do you have to plan the dates, but you also have to forecast the demand. After all, the volumes are what will determine your logistics needs: contracting transport, handling, storage, etc.
Unfortunately, the Christmas peak is a particularly difficult date to get the demand forecasts right. New products are launched for which we do not have a sales history, new advertisements are used on which an estimate of their success must be made, price promotions are made, etc. To which we must add that the competition will do all this, we do not know exactly how it will do it but we do know that it will affect us.
Be superficial; the outside matters
Packaging is always important, but if there is a date in which it shines with its own light, it is on this one. One of the tips for your e-commerce will be to look at the packaging of your products. In some cases you will want to pay special attention to your packaging, or packaging, giving an air of distinction to the product. In others you will place more emphasis on it being resistant (because it may be fragile but it is a product in which it makes less sense to want to give it an image of exclusivity). It is also very fashionable to bet on clean and recyclable materials -and do it in a visible way to cause that positive impact on the client-.
Excesses are not good
Christmas is a time for excesses and we know that these are almost never good. Therefore, another tip for your ecommerce will be not to oversize. This has several applications: from those companies that are going to want to put more product in a pallet, truck or container (affecting the safety of the merchandise and its condition) to those that are going to be too generous in their sales forecasts and they will hire more staff or buy more raw materials than necessary.
You can find a good ally to avoid falling into this trap in your logistics operator. Being very used to dealing with the seasonality of their clients -and having many clients, which helps to balance those peaks by working with various sectors and not all being focused on the Christmas season-, logistics operators can absorb this growth temporary. Do you need a larger warehouse, more staff for certain dates, more vehicles at your disposal? Well, for this they do not need to change your facilities or buy more vehicles. Work together with your logistics operator, keep them informed of the demand peaks you expect to have and it is possible that your results will improve exponentially.