Common Mistakes Made During Peak Shipping Season
Business owners must prep for peak shipping season as we head into the spring. As if entrepreneurs didn’t have enough on their hands already, it’s important to begin outlining your shipment plans for August through the holiday season. That’s because there’s a significant increase in demand at that time since everyone is shopping!
While you prepare for spring marketing rollouts, start drafting your peak-season shipping plans as well. To help you out, we’ve outlined common mistakes to avoid during the peak shipping season.
Not Reviewing Your Inventory
Failing to review your inventory is one of the biggest mistakes you could make during the peak shipping season. During this time, millions of people are shopping for back-to-school items, getting a head start on holiday shopping, and taking advantage of the sales. Whichever motivates them to shop, you must ensure you have enough items in stock.
Avoid sending a disappointing email stating that the customer can’t receive their item and check your inventory. You should also update your website and storefront to ensure you’re taking sold-out items off the “shelf.”
Using an Unreliable Way of Shipping
An unreliable shipping method puts you on a fast track toward low customer-rating scores and even lower sales numbers. With slow shipping, your buyers will become impatient—and they’ll remember this negative experience next time they shop online. By sourcing from a trusted carrier service or 3PL, you won’t have to worry about your items arriving late. However, before choosing a carrier, ensure they’re legit and take their job seriously.
Creating a Plan at the Last Minute
One of the biggest mistakes during peak shipping season is making a plan last minute or not having one at all. It’s better to be overly prepared than underprepared due to the influx in demand. It’s best to have a thorough outline of your website plans, solidified marketing plans, production deadlines, an analysis of previous peak seasons, and the forecast for this year’s season.
If you’re shipping internationally, avoid expensive fees and disruptions by properly preparing your international shipping freight. You can do this by adding documentation and deadlines in your outline. This way, you’ll know what worked, what could use improvements, and what to expect for the upcoming summer and holiday seasons.
Using Outdated Technology
There’s nothing wrong with staying true to your trusty logistics technology, but there’s always a time to upgrade. Using outdated technology during peak shipping season is a liability to your business. You could face significant revenue loss and decrease the customer experience.
To avoid that, update your shipping technology for better optimization, warehouse efficiency, and customer satisfaction.
