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~ Welcome ~

FOREWORD

possibilities – for example, PUDOs and parcel stores – as they
give customers more options for reliable delivery, thus avoiding
potential disappointment.

Step 2: Provide proactive customer communication
Seamless communication is an essential part of a top-level
customer experience – especially at peak times. As processing
packages may take longer during peak season, it’s crucial to
communicate with customers proactively. And this requires the
ability to track and consolidate all shipping information into
a clear overview. With an analytics dashboard customised to
your needs, you can find out where your packages are, intervene,
and notify customers with up-to-date shipment information
before they contact customer service. A recent YouGov survey
carried out on behalf of Seven Senders showed that customers
want to receive notifications throughout the delivery process.
The study found that 74% of customers want to know when a
GETTING THROUGH PEAK PERIODS package has shipped, 57% when a package is out for delivery,
CALMLY: HERE’S HOW TO DO IT and 47% that a return was received. Mobile-optimised tracking
pages in the store design are another best practice for optimal
he summer holidays are barely over, and online communication.
retail is already preparing for its lucrative Black
TFriday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas sales. Step 3: Get your data management into shape
The most stressful time of the year is about to begin for With a powerful shipping analytics tool, you can clearly view
e-commerce. So, what can you do to best prepare for peak all orders and shipments and make data-driven decisions using
season? The most important thing, I find, is to have a your customised dashboards and reports. These data insights
generous portion of composure garnished with extensive make it possible to evaluate carrier performance, for example,
preparation and a good pinch of shipping expertise. Here based on delivery times or rates per region or zip code. You can
is my recipe for you: also generate automatic reports to prevent delays. When the next
peak period arrives, you will find that your customer support
Step 1: Consolidate your shipping processes team is less burdened as fewer delays make for more satisfied
Peak events get the checkouts clicking for online shops, but customers.
they also create lots of work. Figures from Black Friday at the
end of November 2020 show that Shopify merchants globally To plan the next season effectively, you need to know the
took in about 75% more than in 2019, partly related to the previous year’s data and volumes. Ideally, you should leverage last
coronavirus pandemic. Amazon reported an increase in sales year’s data to more reliably calculate orders and delivery volumes
of 60% in comparison with Black Friday last year. We have for a successful peak period. The data can also help identify and
found that delivery volumes in the week before Christmas are assess seasonal and industry-specific fluctuations in your delivery
approximately one and a half times higher than in a regular volumes.
week.
As the next peak period will be here sooner than you think, it
If managing particularly high order and shipment volumes at makes sense to get your shipping “peak-ready” now.
peak times and wanting to reduce the effort involved in booking
capacities and remain flexible, it is advisable to work with a I wish you much success with your planning!
single partner with a wide carrier network. Therefore, you have
fallback options in case of emergency or to distribute shipping Martijn Kleij
volumes onto different “shoulders.” You also need to ensure from Chief Sales Officer Seven Senders
early on that you can increase your capacity if necessary. Last
but not least, your shop should ideally offer various delivery

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