There was a time when holiday returns were limited to things like that “adorable” sweater your Aunt Edna bought you – or that ultra-loud toy some well-meaning relative bought your kids
Not anymore.
Once upon a time, there was a company that had 100% customer satisfaction. Its customers didn’t just love its products, they loved its fulfillment – and they frequently posted positive things about it on everything from social media to Youtube’s unboxing channel.
By this point in the peak season, most of us who work in fulfillment need an extra sales surge about as much as we need a hole in the head. After all, order volumes are already at their highest and our fulfillment centers are usually working overtime and at full capacity already.
When Bing Crosby sang that he was dreaming of a white Christmas, he probably wasn’t thinking of blizzards and ice storms – or peak season shopping.
In fact too much of the white stuff can easily turn into an eCommerce nightmare.
Do you remember what your holiday decorations looked like in your first “grown-up” home? Chances are they’ve multiplied a lot since then, growing from an easily stored collection of tchotchkes to a full-fledged horde of holiday cheer that probably needs its own zip code.
When it comes to peak season there’s no such thing as a silent night – or day – especially for your IT professionals. Because if any part of your web site isn’t working, it can easily turn a customer’s festive shopping experience into the Nightmare Before Christmas.
It’s no different for the IT professionals who handle the fulfillment side of your business, or at least it shouldn’t be.
There are some people who say that places like Atlanta and Los Angeles have some of the country’s worst traffic.
But that’s only because they haven’t seen the long lines of trucks idling outside many fulfillment centers’ receiving areas during peak season.
Breaking up may be hard to do. However breaking products during shipping definitely isn’t.
According to recent research approximately 20% of customers have received a delivery of damaged goods.
The English language is full of words that shoppers hate to hear.
The expression, “Your shipment is delayed” is definitely one of them – especially during the holidays, when consumers absolutely, positively need their goods delivered before Christmas or Hanukkah.
So how do you avoid disappointing your customers and losing sales during the most (potentially) profitable time of the year?
Whoever said nobody’s perfect must have been an eCommerce shopper – because if you buy online often enough, there’s a good chance you’ll receive at least one inaccurately filled order.
Slow and steady may have won the race for the tortoise. But it certainly won’t win peak season business for your company, particularly not if you’re talking about parcel shipping.
Welcome to the peak season – and to this special holiday series from Verst. Over the next 12 days, we’ll be presenting several seasonal stories that have been prepared especially with shippers like you in mind.
A Verst Logistics expert is available by email or phone. Simply click on the contact button below.
