20 December 2022 Discover 8 simple steps that help your company organize logistics for the high sales season, ensuring greater efficiency and assertiveness in order fulfillment. The end-of-year holidays are approaching, and it’s natural for interest and consumption of various products to increase during this period, prompting companies of all sizes to prepare their stocks for the high sales season. Black Friday, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve are examples of seasonal periods that offer great opportunities for retailers, wholesalers, and merchants in various market niches. Considering the current more optimistic scenario and a greater affinity with new forms of consumption, experts believe that one of the trends for the end of 2021, which will extend to the coming years, will be the breaking down of geographical barriers in terms of sales. With consumers increasingly adapted to online shopping, quality and efficiency in delivery have become fundamental requirements for companies to differentiate themselves in the competitive market. This means that, now more than ever, it is necessary to prioritize logistics in planning for the high sales season. Without optimized processes, it is practically impossible to meet the required quality. And in your company? Is it already a reality? If not yet, it’s time to completely review your operation, especially now that there are great opportunities to make good sales. To help you adapt your warehouse to the new scenario, preparing it for the demands of the high season, we have separated 8 tips that we consider important. With the steps presented below, your business will be ready to manage the inventory flow and the large volume of orders, shipments, and returns common during peak periods. Evaluate data from previous years, especially during peak periods How much has your company sold in recent years? Which commemorative dates are important and directly influence the logistics history and revenues of your company? These are some of the questions that can guide managers and coordinators in creating a report, containing the latest results and new insights for organizational strategies for the high sales season. An honest evaluation of previous periods is effective for: Understanding market trends and monitoring possible changes in consumer profiles. Over the years, general behavior can influence your company’s decisions and seasonal sales. Assessing stock levels of each merchandise based on consumption trends. Monitoring team productivity and performance. This way, it is possible to recognize strengths and those that need adjustments. Anticipating problems and understanding how to solve them based on previous experiences. Optimizing time and work schedules, organizing infrastructures, improving communication, and process flow. Reviewing contracts with suppliers and carriers to ensure they comply with the company’s established policies and objectives. Integrate sales and logistics In times when information is precious, any noise in communication can be vital for the smooth running of your company. For this reason, it is important to integrate sales channels with logistics management systems, from stock to shipping, allowing the entire team to have visibility and control over stored products, ensuring successful sales and guaranteed customer satisfaction. It is worth adding that currently, given the boom in online sales and new consumer behaviors, it is necessary to also provide the customer with inventory visibility and order tracking, so integration between the two areas is essential. But how to integrate your company’s commercial and logistics flow quickly, economically, and technologically? The answer can be found by installing software that communicates with each other! For example, the WMS system, used in warehouse management, easily integrates with sales software and marketplaces, providing real-time data on stocks and order processing. With the system, it is also possible to issue specific labels for each sales channel during packaging, facilitating order distribution. Integrating the systems will surely give you more security in ensuring the sale to the customer and offering excellent service. Adapt your team and infrastructure It may be necessary to increase your team or even make changes to the physical space and inventory infrastructure. But for everything to go as planned and these adjustments not to cause conflicts or serious damage during the high sales season, you can: Organize training and qualification for new employees. It is important to remember that when increasing the number of temporary employees, providing orientation is an investment for peak periods. A well-informed team capable of performing its role, in addition to having a macro view of how processes work, avoids problems and optimizes management and work times. Set up a smart and dynamic infrastructure that makes good use of storage space, following the ABC classification standard, which guides the distribution of stocks into priority items, based on each sales period. Besides stock organization, always have controlled equipment and reliable suppliers. Plan and anticipate your inventory It is desirable that your company’s stock planning is carried out frequently to ensure the correct functioning of operations. During high sales periods, it is important to pay particular attention, so the company’s demand will be met without major problems. After analyzing data from previous years, it becomes easier to define the ideal quantity of products during the peak period. But be careful: avoid overstocking (excess stock), and don’t forget to hire reliable and flexible suppliers, whom you can contact in advance, scheduling deliveries so that there are no unforeseen events. Create a plan for exceptions It is normal for the company and its employees to be overloaded during sales peaks, so anticipating flow planning is important to meet requests that deviate from the norm. Canceled products, issues in completing purchases, exchanges and returns, packages exceeding shipping limits, volume, and weight are situations that can occur in any company, especially during periods of high demand. Therefore, consider designating an area to manage exceptions. Sending these goods to a special area helps maintain organization and proper workflow. Utilize new technologies Rely on advanced software and automation systems to ensure agility and precision in order fulfillment. The WMS, for example, is a system capable of accessing all operational information in real-time. This way, communication between sectors is precise, reducing order cancellations, avoiding rework, and optimizing separation times. OMS is another software model capable of tracking information and processes related to orders, including entry, inventory management, fulfillment, and after-sales service. Finally, another technological ally is the YMS warehouse yard management system, capable of meeting the control and monitoring needs of distribution logistics centers’ flows. Prioritize reverse logistics To maintain a good relationship with consumers and ensure a positive experience with your company, be ready to efficiently handle returns and refunds. Prepare your warehouse for these procedures, train your employees, and create a coordinated flow so that everything happens without impacting other internal steps. Learn more about how to optimize reverse logistics. Don’t leave it until the last minute Planning is the keyword! Analyze your past results, put into practice each item in this article, and plan your entire sales strategy in advance. This way, you will have peace of mind and clarity in carrying out actions throughout the period. Additionally, have an emergency plan. Unforeseen events can happen. What defines whether your business will be paralyzed by them is how your management and team organize to solve them. Did you like the tips? Which ones have you already implemented in your business? With the steps presented, you will ensure competitiveness in the scenario of new habits and consumption models, after all, we are going through a guided consumption process, especially in e-commerce. Online sales grow every day, and what we see are companies constantly seeking improvements to provide positive experiences for consumers. So don’t let your warehouse fall behind! By organizing your company’s structure and logistics, you anticipate potential problems and ensure efficiency and safety during peak sales periods, paving the way for your business’s success! High Season and Sales: Step by Step Guide to Setting Up Your Warehouse Deagor WMS per ecommerce può aiutarti!