When ‘Peak’ first started, the 2 main periods included Black Friday and the weeks leading up to Christmas. But as the years have went on, brands have the flexibility of deciding when their peak season starts and finishes, with more and more key dates emerging- such as Small Business Saturday.

So, its up to you when your Peak period starts and finishes, and its up to you whether or not you are going to run promotional sales on all of the key dates between that period. We will explore the key dates later.

Plan early.

Planning early gives you a head start, but it also ensures that you aren’t running around like a headless chicken when Peak Season actually begins, which is usually ‘starts’ from Black Friday. Most companies tend to start preparing between September – October, so consider planning your preparations around the same time to ensure you can really make the most out of things. If you’re looking for an in-depth guide on Peak Preparation, click the button below!

The biggest mistake when it comes to Peak is failure to prepare early enough.

Another common mistake is failure to forecast your demand accurately. Forecasting is based off of historical data, so if this is your first peak season you may struggle since you won’t really have historical data, but you still have the opportunity to start preparations early which is crucial.

Finally, other common mistakes involve; not scaling your resources properly, (staff, space, etc) setting realistic expectations with customers (delivery delays) failure to market properly, and failure to handle customer service properly. This is why preparation is key, since you can ensure all areas are fully covered.

Regardless of the time of year, returns are sometimes inevitable unfortunately. But do not fear! There are some things you can do to help you minimise the volume of returns you receive.

Ensure all of your orders are picked and packed properly, making sure they include the right products (of course!) and ensuring they are packed using the right dunnage to minimise the risk of broken and damaged products. Make sure all of your product listings have the right information, with images that depict exactly what the product is. Although delays are to be expected, try and ensure you are still maintaining fast fulfilment to avoid customers becoming impatient and cancelling/returning their order.

For more information on returns management;

With over 580,000 different eCommerce businesses in the UK alone, sometimes it can be hard to stand out amongst the crowd, especially during peak. But, developing a good, solid marketing plan is your key to success.

Much like other areas of your business preparation, its best to prepare and create your marketing plan early. Good, informative, interactive content is your key to getting customers to engage with your posts and brand, where they will then hopefully place an order.

For more information on how to prepare your marketing plan, and what to include, click the button below!

Unfortunately, not every product can be a best seller. Sometimes you may find that you have old/excess stock of a particular SKU, and shifting it has become a challenge.

The great thing about Peak is you can incentivise customers to purchase old stock by discounting it, or offering it as part of a bundle. If you’re really desperate to shift your stock you can offer it as a free product, such as ‘spend x amount and receive this product as a free gift’.

For more information on Peak preparation

Good inventory management is crucial regardless of the time of year, but it becomes even more crucial during peak as you begin to see an influx of orders rolling in.

Ensure your inventory management systems are up to date as this will help you accurately track your inventory in your warehouse, which helps you ensure you aren’t missing stock or having to cancel orders as a result of not having adequate stock due to inaccuracy.

Assessing your current inventory levels beforehand is also key when forecasting your demand, you don’t want to have too much stock but you also don’t want to have too little either. Its also worth taking into consideration that stock replenishment is likely to take longer due to an increase in demand with suppliers, couriers, and carriers. So when placing an order for stock, consider that delays may occur and place your order well ahead of time.

Depending how close it is to peak, it may be a little too late to partner with a 3PL, but this is dependent on whether or not you are currently with one and are just looking to switch, or if you are doing everything in-house currently and are now looking to outsource.

If you are currently with a 3PL, the offboarding and onboarding process can sometimes be lengthy, not leaving you much room or time to switch 3PLs.

But, if you’re just looking to onboard, you may have some luck.

At TSP we handle everything, starting with the storage, picking, and packing of your products.

We serve a range of markets so we have experience storing, picking, and packing a variety of different products, so we’ve got you covered regardless of what you sell.

Outsourcing your pick and pack with us will help free up your time, while also improving the entire process due to our highly experienced team of staff.

Regardless of whether you just do B2C or B2B, or a mixture of both, our team have the knowledge and resources required to successfully get your orders picked, packed, and shipped to your customer or chosen retailer.

While we handle your B2B and B2C fulfilment, you can focus on putting more time and money back into other areas of your business, such as your sales, marketing, and product development.

After we pick and pack your orders, we ship them too.

We ensure you get better deals on shipping and packaging by letting you leverage our buying power, meaning you can save money and put it back into growing your business.

We also partner with a range of couriers, ensuring the needs of your business are being met through a diverse choice in reliable couriers.

We are your one stop solution for all Amazon seller services, including FBA, FBM and SFP. With over 20 years of industry experience you can be assured that we are fully equipped to support you..

So regardless of what Amazon service you’re using, or if its a mix of all 3, we’ve got you covered. Check out our Amazon page for more information regarding our Amazon fulfilment services.

Our cloud-based inventory management system, Mintsoft is easy to navigate and provides you with real time updates so you can always make informed decisions about your stock.

Returns are inevitable when it comes to your eCommerce business, but managing them correctly is a critical aspect on 3PL services. Here at TSP, we will handle the entire process from start to finish, helping you to main a high level of customer satisfaction.

Are you a sustainable business? Looking to become more sustainable? Working with us means you can do your bit for the planet too, since we are a certified carbon neutral 3PL company.

Do you sell custom bundles or kits? We’ve got you covered. Our team is trained in kitting and bundle building, so you can be assured your customers will receive their orders in an accurate, timely manner.

Do you require international shipping, or are you looking to expand into global markets? We’ve got you covered with our extensive network of couriers and global warehouses.

Explore our global fulfilment solutions page to see how we can help you dominate the global market, right from the heart of Newcastle.

Here at TSP we are one of the very few Newcastle based order fulfilment companies with a dry bonded warehouse license.

Our network of freight forwarders means you can easily utilise the power of cross-border selling, allowing you to boost sales and drive growth.