Overview
Anyone in the eCommerce industry, from carriers to suppliers, will know that peak season can be a tough and stressful time of year. It can make or break businesses. Navigating this busy period is intense, and when you are handling hundreds of thousands, even millions of parcels over the span of two months you will most definitely need to plan.
Unfortunately, there is no one structure or guide to follow. Managing the sorting, picking, delivery and everything that comes in between, during peak season is all about evaluating your individual needs, demands, and the resources at your disposal to formulate a strategy that works for you.
Your plan may not be perfect, but you can always re-structure and alter your process using the data that you accumulate from past peaks to improve your plan for the next year.
In this article you will understand what peak season is and we will take a look into peak 2022 and how Pro Carrier were able to deliver such a successful peak period when others couldn’t, through proper planning and preparation.
What is peak season?
If you work in the eCommerce industry, you will definitely have heard of peak season. For those of you who haven’t, peak season is the period of the year, usually November to December, where retailers will see a significant increase in their sales, especially online. This is caused by cultural events and promotional sales from retailers, all on a timeline that consists of:
- Singles Day (November 11) – An almost anti-Valentine’s Day celebration that originated in China and has since gained popularity across the globe
- Cyber Week – strategically placed during the build up to Christmas where most people will purchase their gifts, which includes:
- Thanksgiving (4th Thursday in November) – Celebrated in the USA
- Black Friday – Usually the day after Thanksgiving, and includes massive promotional offers and sales from retailers across the globe. This holiday has evolved from a single day of sales and now lasts around a week
- Cyber Monday – This is a continuation of Black Friday promoting further discounts and sales
- Christmas (December 25)
A reflection on Peak 2022:
2022 was a tough year for eCommerce during peak season, especially in the UK. Although demand saw a slight dip from 2021, most likely due to the state of the economy, there was still a high anticipation for volume. However, other factors from labour shortages, to carrier strikes during the peak season saw retailers struggle to fulfil orders and carriers scramble to handle the influx of parcels and make sure they were delivered on time, resulting in large delays and longer transit times than promised.
This is a good example of how planning for peak season in advance can be extremely beneficial as Pro Carrier experienced during 2022.
How did Pro Carrier succeed?
Pro Carrier began planning for peak 2022 in late 2021, re-evaluating our processes and learning from data collected during peak 2021. From this we were able to formulate a new plan that would put us in a good position for 2022.
During a period of struggle for lots of retailers and carriers, where transit times were extended or delayed, and piles of parcels were building up in warehouses, Pro Carrier saw growth and improvement.
Our carrier agnostic approach meant that our transit times actually improved over that period, as Pro Carrier were able to seamlessly switch between carriers when needed. For example if one carrier were unable to handle a delivery, Pro Carrier could effortlessly fulfil the delivery using one of our other fantastic service lanes from our expansive carrier network. Our International, cross-border service flourished as we were able to deliver our promised transit times with some even being delivered earlier than expected.
A huge piece of the peak jigsaw puzzle when dealing with cross border deliveries is navigating the challenges of customs. Poor data or the wrong processes can see huge delays to transit times and pile pressure onto an already under strain network. Thanks to our tireless work throughout 2022 Pro Carrier made significant changes to our customs processes resulting in a remarkable result of just 0.12% of parcels held in customs throughout the busiest period of the year.
Alone, Pro Carrier’s total Domestic year on year comparison saw a 67% increase in peak 2022 compared to peak 2021. The overall total of deliveries from all of Pro Carrier’s services across peak 2022 increased by 45% compared to last year!
Looking forward to Peak 2023
Following the unprecedented success of peak 2022, Pro Carrier is already looking for ways to improve, and planning for 2023 is already well underway. We are looking to improve our warehouse and sorting processes to increase efficiency, exploring other avenues such as automation.
We are excited to see what 2023 brings and are prepared for the challenge. Pro Carrier hopes to continue the fantastic customer service and first class delivery options that it established in 2022, and hope to deliver another successful peak in 2023.
If you would like to enquire about Pro Carrier’s services or have a question, feel free to ask our experts.
