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4 Festive Seasonal Challenges in eCommerce Shipping and Delivery

Planning Pays Off: 5 Strategies to Get the Most Out of Your Delivery Speed Choice

July 11, 2024

5 min read

Introduction 

Be it Diwali in India or Christmas across the globe, the air remains filled with excitement and happiness around festive seasons.
While the commoner has the picture of joy filling their homes and close relationships in mind, behind the curtain of online shopping lies heavy traffic. You can avail yourself of a courier delivery service. However, there are flaws in the system, whether it’s the surge in order volumes or the delivery timelines.
This blog will take you through a few key hurdles and provide relevant solutions to meet the spiking demands of the festive season in the eCommerce industry.

Surge in Orders-Courier Delivery Service

Firstly, there is a surge in order volumes for almost all eCommerce platforms. More people are purchasing gifts and items for decoration online, among other things. This inflow becomes very hard to manage since order volumes may reach double the maximum on completely off-season days.
To cope, consumers should forecast the increase and prepare their resources to accommodate the supply.

  • Demand Inflow: Too large an order volume to fulfil
  • Resource Management: Proper employee placement and inventory control

Last-Mile Delivery-Same Day Courier Services

After orders are prepared and placed, the last mile of delivery is the previous stop barrier on the chain. This chain will become almost impossible to hack this season, with traffic becoming a major issue.
Another hurdle is congested places. It becomes difficult for eCommerce rides and last-mile delivery people to operate. Technology-enabled real-time GPS tracking and route optimization can solve this issue. Additionally, you can opt for intercity and interstate courier services to further streamline the process.

  • Timely Delivery: Traffic and too many orders lead to delays
  • Technology Difficulty: Complex last-mile operations on challenging terrains and patterns

Inventory Management

Inventory levels are also critical in this season, as some platforms may experience a small number of stockouts. On the other hand, over-inventory causes losses by tying unnecessary funds to items not bought.
Predictive analytics and customer data, used to forecast demand, can help optimize inventory for this season. For your convenience, you can use same-day courier, courier service delivery, and express courier services.

  • Stockouts: Ideally no stockouts for large and fast-moving goods
  • Customer Prediction: One of the best prediction periods with prior customer purchase data

Return Management

Finally, returns are higher during the festive season than any other. They may break or change their minds, especially for these eCommerce. Thus, the reverse logistics area needs to be taken care of in eCommerce.
You can benefit from same-day courier services and prioritize urgent deliveries for your convenience.
Making the returns process easier and more enjoyable reduces the strain and hassle involved along the chain. You can avail of urgent courier service for your expediency.

  • Customer Relations: Easy and fast returns build consumer trust.
  • Customer Communication During Peak Seasons: It is essential to keep customers updated about their orders. However, managing the communication channels can be overwhelming. Thus, transparency and automated notifications will help update clients on the order’s progress in a timely manner.
  • Peak Season Pricing: As festive seasons approach, logistics providers often boost prices due to a market spike in demand. This increases operational costs for an eCommerce company. Early contract negotiation and shipping diversification should be considered. You should sign preferable terms with logistics providers before the peak. Moreover, consider other shipping providers, like immediate delivery, for your convenience.

Conclusion

While updating on the status of the orders is crucial, managing numerous channels of communication may quickly become daunting.
Due to the rise in demand, logistics providers also increase their prices during the festive season. While this might lead to a rise in expenses for the eCommerce firm, they might negotiate contracts with logistics providers, thus managing costs. In this regard, opting for a courier delivery service is an ideal option.
If you want to streamline and expand your eCommerce business, Shipyaari is at your service.
Shipyaari primarily focuses on empowering eCommerce businesses through its custom API. It has a dedicated team for the eCommerce courier service that monitors the Return To Origin (RTO)-related concerns and coordinates with courier partners and consignees.
For further details, sign up with Shipyaari today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Managing high order volumes, ensuring timely delivery, optimizing inventory, and handling increased returns.

Forecast demand, prepare resources, optimize inventory control, and use predictive analytics.

Use real-time GPS tracking, route optimization, and intercity/interstate courier services.

Simplify the returns process, use same-day courier services, and ensure efficient reverse logistics.

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