Three ways to achieve slicker fulfilment during sales season

Ready, steady, go! Black Friday marks the beginning of the seasonal sales period.

Cyber Monday deals, Christmas gift promotions, Boxing Day bonanzas and January clearance sales make November, December and January some of the most important months on the eCommerce retail sales calendar.

Why quality fulfilment matters during peak sales seasons

For eCommerce retailers, this time of year presents a massive window of opportunity. Discounts and offers attract new customers, reconnect with existing ones and drive product sales – fast.

But don’t forget, high quality fulfilment is fundamental to making the sales season a success. Customers expect their goods to arrive on time and in tip-top condition, especially if the items are going to be given as gifts. Reduced prices aren’t an excuse for lower standards.

Not only that, lots of people now expect a personalised eCommerce experience that doesn’t negatively impact the planet and many will share it on social media.

When your business gets it right, you’ll welcome those sales shoppers back in 2022. If it goes wrong, complaints, bad reviews and refunds could tarnish your brand and dent your profits.

So, here are three ways to achieve slicker fulfilment during the all-important sales season…

1. Get your ducks in a row

By which we mean your inventory!

Exclusive seasonal offers and promotional bundles can help make peak trading season eCommerce profits pop. But…virtual shopping carts still need physical stock.

Hopefully, you’ve accurately forecasted your stock requirements ahead of sales season. Do you have contingency plans in case product delivery is affected by manufacturing, customs or transportation delays?

Don’t plan promotions where you might not be able to meet demand, at least have a plan B so you can easily adapt offers around unexpected surges or shortfalls.

Communicate your promotional strategy (and contingency plans) clearly to your fulfilment provider, with as much notice as possible. That way, they can be ready to fulfil orders more effectively and better placed to work around any issues.

Here at Fullers Logistics, we can prepare the warehouse layout for maximum efficiency, get packaging ready in advance, and put on extra staff if necessary to deal with sales season orders.

2. Make best friends with technology

If you work with Fullers Logistics, we’ll seamlessly sync your eCommerce platform with our Warehouse Management System (WMS) as part of the onboarding process. We can integrate with all the main eCommerce platforms, including Shopify, WooCommerce and Magento.

All orders are fulfilled by us automatically, but you can monitor everything online in real time. Get low-level stock alerts to scale up production, see what’s not selling, and plan promotions in a more insightful, flexible – and profitable - way.

Streamlined systems and diligent warehouse workers help ensure BOGOFs don’t go AWOL and sweet deals don’t turn into sour reviews.

3. Communicate with your customers

So, you’ve been shouting about unmissable discounts all over social media and an unexpectedly huge response means you’re suddenly out of stock! Set up back-in-stock notifications to email customers as soon as you get more products delivered, reminding them to come back and buy from you.

When you have too much stock, try discounting it within a limited timeframe to create a sense of urgency and help complete sales. Keep us posted and we’ll avoid a fulfilment bottleneck.

With so many brilliant discounts and offers, you can expect your orders to increase quickly. Manage customer expectations around delivery timescales with up to date and accurate information on your website and via email/text notifications.

We work with the world’s leading and most trusted couriers, including Royal Mail, DPD, Hermes, TNT, UK Mail and Air Business and we will get the best delivery rates to your destinations.

Fullers Logistics is a fulfilment service based in Berkshire and Hampshire. 58 years in the business of warehousing, picking, packing, and distribution during sales season means our team has the expertise to help you navigate this busy and potentially prosperous period with ease. Contact us to talk about your peak season fulfilment needs today.