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Summer is finally here. Kids (and parents) get a well-deserved break from school. Vacation travel plans and backyard BBQ’s are well underway. It’s a great time of the year, but if you’re like most brand category managers and merchants, you know peak season will be here before you know it..
The holiday peak season brings much promise for many brands and merchants, counting on a strong Q4 performance to close the year. However, it also comes with numerous challenges, including the onslaught of parcel shipments causing major backups, delays and headaches for merchants and customers alike.
Only 15% of U.S. consumers are happy about delivery speed*.
And that doesn’t even take peak season into account, when we will likely face shipping challenges that have become the norm the past few years. Is your distribution and fulfillment provider going the extra mile to minimize freight challenges and delays?
Over 50% of shoppers will only buy if delivery conditions are clear*. Don’t lose last-minute sales!
Shipping speeds become even more crucial as you publish your deliver-by dates toward the end of the holiday buying season. Capturing those late orders can be a real difference maker toward success. Maybe now is a good time to review!
Regional Carriers – Are you getting the benefits of a blended carrier strategy?
We all know that speed to customer is critical for ecommerce success. We all also know that major carriers such as UPS and FedEx have struggled to keep pace, especially during peak season. There are numerous regional carriers that can help fill gaps and ensure the fast delivery your customers expect and offer the same real-time order tracking and delivery information when integrated with your fulfillment provider. All combined, these carriers cover roughly 85% or more of the U.S. population and can offer a significant advantage, especially in major metro areas when the major carriers get overwhelmed and can often do so at a lower cost.
Do you process and ship orders same day?
There is much talk about the major carriers, their lack of capacity and slow transit times during peak season. Sure, this causes headaches for everyone which is why it’s so important to come out of the gate strong. If most of your orders don’t actually get processed and shipped until the next day or even later, you’re going from bad to worse. Meeting customer expectations when faced with somewhat longer transit times can be tempered by getting orders into the carrier networks as quickly as possible. Although not easily accomplished, be sure your fulfillment solution has the automation and capacity to get orders out the door quickly and efficiently. It will go a long way in creating happy holiday shoppers.
Contact us today to learn more about a fast, efficient peak season shipping strategy.
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*12 Ecommerce Shipping Statistics to Know In 2021.