by Peak season can occur at different times of the year for each industry.
Many lifestyle goods retailers, for example, may experience it before summer or Christmas, whereas many sports vendors may experience a volume surge just as their special sports season begins.
The advent of eCommerce and more frequent promotions, which allow you to order online at your leisure, is also causing more peak periods than ever before.
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3 Easy Ways to Prepare Your Business for Peak Season
Businesses frequently earn a large portion of their income in a short period of time.
The peak period appears to cause an influx of sales and to occur relatively quickly.
These fluctuations are important to anticipate and even more important to capitalize on.
Don’t miss out on peak season earnings because your company isn’t prepared.
Take a closer look at how your business operates across multiple facets during downtime.
Examine whether any aspects could be improved or simplified so that you can control peak periods when they occur.
Check out the suggestions below to get ready for when business is booming.
Hire the appropriate number of people
When your sales increase, so does the workload for your employees.
Prepare for peak periods by bringing in seasonal staff as soon as possible so that workloads can be distributed.
Employee burnout can occur if they are stressed or overworked.
They may become ill more frequently or be less productive than when they were working.
A good balance of extra help can help to create a positive work environment and reassure your regular employees that you care about them.
Bring in seasonal workers early enough so that you can train them before the busy season begins.
Otherwise, they will be trapped in a bad shape and unable to effectively assist.
Ascertain that they are aware of the warehouse’s layout and who their direct subordinates are.
Make an open and welcoming environment in which new employees can ask questions.
For example, you will almost certainly have stock control procedures in place.
Every company is different, so make sure they understand the fundamentals of stock control and have someone to turn to if they are unsure.
Clean up the warehouse
Use downtime to clear the warehouse in preparation for peak periods.
Remove dead stock and rearrange shelves.
There will almost certainly be an influx of goods prior to the peak, and there is no point in lowering them to a cluttered warehouse.
Product allocation must be simplified, and employees must be able to easily locate items.
Set aside enough time to clean up the shed so that peak periods are easier.
Consult your supply chain
During peak periods, supply chain relationships are critical.
Make sure to give your suppliers enough time to supply you with inventory to meet demand.
You’ll be able to contact your suppliers if you need more inventory in less time or more products without much waiting time if you have strong supply chain relationships.
While you expect your stock control to be good, it can be difficult to predict demand at times.
If you require additional assistance during this time, please contact your supplier.
Natural disasters, customs delays, and delivery issues are all possibilities.
It’s a good idea to have backup suppliers ready in case your primary supplier is unable to meet demand.
Establish a strong working relationship with both and communicate your expectations before the peak period begins.
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- 10 Ways to Build an Efficient and Effective Supply Chain
- 21 Important Warehouse KPIs for Measuring Performance and Efficiency
7 Crucial Order Fulfillment Tips for Managing Peak Season Sales
Whatever your peak season is, one thing all business owners have in common is that you want your company to be ready for it.
Here are seven critical order fulfillment tips that businesses use to better manage peak season sales.
Analyze historical data
Looking at historical data is the first step in effective business planning.
Data from previous sales, such as which inventory stock is selling the best, average order size, maximum order origin/channel (e.g., online or in-store), and other important variables, will aid in developing the best order fulfillment strategy.
Importantly, tracking changing sales trends will reveal spikes and curves in your sales data.
You will be able to better predict future planning if you can identify what happened in the past.
Answering the following questions will also help direct your attention to this critical part of the order fulfillment process during peak season:
- How is the order fulfillment performance compared to the goals set?
- Is there anything factors that hinder inventory management and logistics?
- What are the most frequently encountered customer complaints?
- Are your suppliers trustworthy, or do you need to look into new options and solutions?
Ascertain that all necessary resources are available for use
Consider your company’s facilities and equipment, as well as whether there is enough space to handle the increased peak season volume and set up for optimal order processing.
It should be noted that additional storage space may be required.
During peak sales season, there will typically be a large number of incoming shipments, increasing warehouse clearance rates.
Consider drop shipping and third-party partners, as well as renting additional storage space during peak shipping seasons.
Check that there is enough equipment available to accommodate the volume of inventory stock, such as obtaining additional forklifts, handheld devices, and so on.
Identifying and addressing these needs ahead of time can help to speed up order fulfillment during peak seasons.
Plan your staffing requirements
As I have mentioned earlier, during peak season, staffing is often the most difficult challenge, so plan ahead of time by arranging and securing extra help.
By providing adequate training and cross-training, associates in all areas can quickly become effective employees.
While it may not be possible to train temporary employees as thoroughly as full-time team members, it is critical that they understand the process they are asked to perform.
If you do not invest the time now to do the proper training, you will face costly problems that will have a negative impact on order fulfillment.
Many businesses train full-time employees in all departments, particularly jobs requiring equipment training, such as forklifts.
This is typically combined with a strategic division of labor that assigns more complex tasks to the most skilled and long-term team members while delegating more basic tasks to temporary employees.
Improve the current system
System-based planning is also critical for successful peak season order fulfillment.
Check that your software can handle the increased volume.
Data tracking metrics are also important for quickly identifying and resolving problems.
If you use third-party partners, make sure their systems are integrated.
More useful software systems will provide real-time visibility, accurate reporting, and the ability to optimize inventory stock across multiple order fulfillment sources, informing decision-making efficiently and effectively.
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Make the procedure more efficient
Take the time to assess order fulfillment processes and operations.
Fine-tune receipts to ensure that incoming products, for example, are barcoded and properly packaged so that they can be put into stock quickly for a faster turnaround.
In contrast, evaluate the picking and packaging processes to ensure maximum efficiency.
Prepare for backorders and returns by putting in place a system to handle these situations.
Take note of the delivery date
The main factor that can influence customer satisfaction is delivery time.
In peak season, keeping an eye on delivery times is essential.
Make sure to look into special holiday delivery options ahead of time as well.
Analyze shipping patterns for businesses that use multiple distribution centers to ensure that inventory is in the right place to minimize shipping costs and delivery times.
Review and revise
When the order arrives, it’s difficult to deal with every issue.
However, once order volume has decreased, review and revise the strategy with other partners to identify any weaknesses so that it can be revised to address any problem areas in order to better handle the next peak period.
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Peak season can be stressful for your company, but it can also be a significant challenge for your order fulfillment process.
Follow these order fulfillment tips to increase your chances of profiting from this sale and navigating the peak season more successfully.
Hope it is useful.
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