Christmas in fulfillment: our preparations

The Christmas season is approaching and as a fulfillment service provider, we are facing one of the busiest periods of the year. We start preparing for the Christmas business months in advance to ensure that all orders can be processed smoothly and on time. In this blog post, we give you an insight into how we are preparing for the Christmas business

The importance of preparing for Christmas

Christmas business is crucial for our business. It accounts for a significant proportion of our customers’ annual sales, which is why we consider careful planning to be essential. Here are some of the steps we are taking to ensure the Christmas business runs smoothly:

1: Early warehouse planning

We often start planning for the Christmas business as early as the summer. We analyze historical data to determine inventory requirements and check whether sufficient space and resources are available. After all, more shipments also mean the need to take up more space in the warehouse. At the same time, we coordinate inventory growth plans with our existing customers.

The picture shows a warehouse employee of a fulfillment service provider packing orders into a box at a packing table

2: Hiring additional staff

Parallel to warehouse planning, we also start capacity planning in the summer. Our existing customers request forecasts for Christmas business months in advance – even if they may not have considered the Christmas season in detail during the summer. If we do not receive a detailed forecast, we assume the previous year’s figures with a generous amount of growth built in.

A forklift truck transports several boxes in the fulfillment warehouse

3: Shipping & logistics partnerships

To ensure that orders are delivered on time, we work closely with shipping and logistics companies such as DHL, UPS and DPD. Additional trucks to collect the many parcels are essential – otherwise people will be busy packing and, in the worst-case scenario, the parcels would not be able to be collected.
In addition to the additional transport capacity, the weeks before Christmas are also interesting – when can shipments be sent and still be guaranteed to be delivered before Christmas? Especially in the last-minute business, we coordinate closely with the shipping service providers to give our customers planning security.

4. customer support and communication

The Christmas period can be stressful for customers as they rely on punctual deliveries. We ensure that we have efficient communication channels to answer customer questions and solve problems quickly. We do not use a ticket system for this – each of our customers is assigned a personal account manager, team lead and strategic contact throughout the year. This ensures that adjustments can be made quickly even at peak times.

Conclusion – fulfillment during the Christmas season

Christmas is a busy but also exciting time for us. Proper preparation and planning are the key to the punctual and smooth processing of orders. Cooperation with shipping and logistics partners and capacity planning in the areas of outgoing goods, stock allocation and customer service are just some of the steps we take to successfully manage the Christmas business. With the right preparation, we can guarantee that the holidays will be at least a little less stressful for our customers.

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