The busiest season in logistics is undoubtedly during the holidays. It requires a lot of planning and attention to detail. If you don’t already have a game plan, it may already be too late as inventories increase as early as August in anticipation for the end-of-the-year bustle. In this blog, we’ll cover the top 3 tips to keep up with holiday demands.
Tip #1 – Take the Initiative and be Proactive
Every year, the average consumer spends around $800 for gifts, shopping as early as October. Companies must be in constant communication with their carriers as they will be in high demand over the next few weeks. In 2013, Amazon sold more products than they initially anticipated, making UPS, Fed-Ex, and other partners struggle to keep up with the demands. In fact, many packages that year did not make it in time. UPS and FedEx actually deal with a lot of outside carriers prior to the holidays for extra transportation support which is why communication and reassuring capacity concerns are being addressed is so crucial during this time.
Tip #2 – Go over Last Year’s Results
Re-familiarize yourself with last year’s numbers and recognize all the wins and losses from that year. Have a meeting with your team to go over what went well, and what could’ve been done better to avoid making the same mistakes this year.
Tip #3 – Embrace the Chaos
While it is important to always have a plan B, C, and D during the holidays, recognize that operations aren’t ever going to be perfect during this time of year. You can always set deadlines earlier and plan for increased staffing needs to compensate for any foreseeable delays but, things are going to be hectic! All that will be in your realm of control is to be prepared, plan well, and stay flexible.
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