Although major holidays don’t start until the fall, the holiday shopping season begins long before that. In 2019, 60% of holiday shoppers made purchases months before the traditional holiday season arrived. For many online retailers, this means it’s important to prepare for holiday sales in the summer and ensure your products are ready to go for the order rush. Warehousing is an integral part of this process. These tips will help assure your warehousing runs smoothly during your holiday sales.
Check Your Inventory
Last year, holiday shoppers spent $142 billion during the holiday season. Some of the most popular products were clothing and accessories, health and wellness, toys, electronics, and home and kitchen items. Can your inventory keep up with these spending habits?
One of the simplest ways to ensure your warehousing is ready for the holidays is to take stock of the existing levels of your merchandise, especially popular items and those that are part of your sales. Take a look at how much your business historically sells during holiday shopping, especially on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Using this data, you can make an accurate estimate of how much product you will need ahead of time to support your future sales.
Stock Up Early
The worst mistake any retailer can make is to wait until the last minute to order from their manufacturer and begin storing their products. For the past few months, shipping delays have plagued many eCommerce businesses. Anticipating that your merchandise might take a little longer to arrive due to the state of the world can help you eliminate the possibility of running out of your products when you need them the most. Stocking up early can also relieve stress as you run-up to the holiday sale deadline.
Select an Outsourced Partner
The best way to successfully manage the warehousing aspect of your holiday merchandise is to hire professional help. Using the right third-party logistics company can give you enough space to store your inventory, handle shipping and order fulfillment, and provide the staffing you need to make it all happen.
Working with a reliable 3PL like Rakuten Super Logistics allows your business to use multiple fulfillment centers across the country. You’ll be able to adequately stock up for the holiday season as well and get your merchandise closer to your customers. In turn, you will lower delivery times and costs too.
In order to have a successful holiday season, it’s imperative to finalize your business plan early. Iron out all of the details of what needs you have for holiday warehousing and what actions you will take to solve those requirements.
Rakuten Super Logistics (RSL) is the leader in eCommerce order fulfillment services and freight brokerage. RSL offers national fulfillment services and a network of 15 US fulfillment centers located in Anaheim (CA), Atlanta (GA), Austin (TX), Chicago (IL), Denver (CO), Houston (TX), Las Vegas (NV), Olean (NY), Reno (NV), Salt Lake City (UT), and Scranton (PA). Their state-of-the-art technology allows for integration with popular shopping cart platforms and online marketplaces including Amazon, Big Commerce, Channel Advisor, eBay, Magento, ShipStation, Shopify, Volusion, Walmart Marketplace, and WooCommerce. RSL offers modern fulfillment solutions for leading eCommerce retailers focused on reducing shipping costs, improving order accuracy, decreasing shipping times, and increasing customer satisfaction.
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Although major holidays don’t start until the fall, the holiday shopping season begins long before that. In 2019, 60% of holiday shoppers made purchases months before the traditional holiday season arrived. For many online retailers, this means it’s important to prepare for holiday sales in the summer and ensure your products are ready to go for the order rush. Warehousing is an integral part of this process. These tips will help assure your warehousing runs smoothly during your holiday sales.
Check Your Inventory
Last year, holiday shoppers spent $142 billion during the holiday season. Some of the most popular products were clothing and accessories, health and wellness, toys, electronics, and home and kitchen items. Can your inventory keep up with these spending habits?
One of the simplest ways to ensure your warehousing is ready for the holidays is to take stock of the existing levels of your merchandise, especially popular items and those that are part of your sales. Take a look at how much your business historically sells during holiday shopping, especially on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Using this data, you can make an accurate estimate of how much product you will need ahead of time to support your future sales.
Stock Up Early
The worst mistake any retailer can make is to wait until the last minute to order from their manufacturer and begin storing their products. For the past few months, shipping delays have plagued many eCommerce businesses. Anticipating that your merchandise might take a little longer to arrive due to the state of the world can help you eliminate the possibility of running out of your products when you need them the most. Stocking up early can also relieve stress as you run-up to the holiday sale deadline.
Select an Outsourced Partner
The best way to successfully manage the warehousing aspect of your holiday merchandise is to hire professional help. Using the right third-party logistics company can give you enough space to store your inventory, handle shipping and order fulfillment, and provide the staffing you need to make it all happen.
Working with a reliable 3PL like Rakuten Super Logistics allows your business to use multiple fulfillment centers across the country. You’ll be able to adequately stock up for the holiday season as well and get your merchandise closer to your customers. In turn, you will lower delivery times and costs too.
In order to have a successful holiday season, it’s imperative to finalize your business plan early. Iron out all of the details of what needs you have for holiday warehousing and what actions you will take to solve those requirements.
Rakuten Super Logistics (RSL) is the leader in eCommerce order fulfillment services and freight brokerage. RSL offers national fulfillment services and a network of 15 US fulfillment centers located in Anaheim (CA), Atlanta (GA), Austin (TX), Chicago (IL), Denver (CO), Houston (TX), Las Vegas (NV), Olean (NY), Reno (NV), Salt Lake City (UT), and Scranton (PA). Their state-of-the-art technology allows for integration with popular shopping cart platforms and online marketplaces including Amazon, Big Commerce, Channel Advisor, eBay, Magento, ShipStation, Shopify, Volusion, Walmart Marketplace, and WooCommerce. RSL offers modern fulfillment solutions for leading eCommerce retailers focused on reducing shipping costs, improving order accuracy, decreasing shipping times, and increasing customer satisfaction.