Holiday Shipping Checklist: Prepare Your eCommerce Business for Success
By Jessica Biella, Oct. 17, 2024
With the holiday season fast approaching, it’s time for businesses to finalize their eCommerce shipping strategy for the busiest time of the year.
A recent survey found that 82% of consumers prefer home delivery versus in-store pickup when shopping online for the holidays.1 To keep your customers in a festive mood, be sure to provide them with a seamless delivery experience. Use this checklist to optimize your shipping operations and manage costs effectively.
Do You Know the Shipping Deadlines for Your Carriers?
Understanding each carrier’s deadlines will help ensure that items arrive at your customers’ doorsteps as promised. Set realistic expectations for your customers by clearly communicating order and shipping deadlines, so packages reach their destinations on time. Also, consider expedited service options and costs, as well as international destinations and potential unexpected delays, like snowstorms.
Have You Evaluated Your Packaging Process?
Proper packaging and labeling are essential for deliveries to arrive on time and in the condition you intend, meeting your customers’ expectations. Assess your eCommerce packaging solutions by considering factors such as protection and durability, size and weight optimization, use of sustainable materials, visibility of barcodes and labels, and customer experience. Reviewing these aspects can help prevent product damage, processing delays and fees.
Are You Aware of Any Demand or Peak Surcharges?
During the busiest time of year for shippers, carriers often implement temporary fees to offset the increased costs associated with higher demand products and services, including fuel, transportation and labor. Be sure to understand which carriers are applying surcharges, the services they impact, and how long these fees will last.
Can You Forecast Your Additional Holiday Shipping Volume?
Analyze your shipping data from previous years to understand what to expect for the upcoming peak season. It’s imperative to share this forecast with your shipping carriers to make sure they’re fully prepared to meet your needs. Increased accuracy enhances the carriers’ ability to meet your expectations and provide a seamless experience to your customers.
Are You Staffed Properly?
Consider adding additional staff to handle the increase in holiday orders and customer support requests. Provide your employees with the resources they need to perform their jobs effectively and stay ahead of potential challenges. Having more people can help alleviate processing delays and minimize extended response times, ultimately leading to greater customer satisfaction.
During the holiday season or any time of year, OSM Worldwide is ready to help you optimize your shipping performance. Read our case studies to learn how our consultative approach and data-driven eCommerce shipping solutions can help you grow your business and delight your customers.
If you found this article helpful, check out more of our blog content. You can learn about topics such as why packaging is so important, how to leverage business intelligence in shipping and navigating social commerce to grow sales.
Contact us today to learn more about OSM Worldwide’s eCommerce shipping solutions.
About the Author
As Vice President of Operations, Jessica Biella oversees numerous departments at OSM Worldwide. During her 17-year tenure, she has led the opening of four nationwide facilities, deployed new sortation equipment, implemented robotics trials, and designed and executed continuous improvement and learning programs for her teams, coaching 17 members to achieve Lean Six Sigma certification.