Prelude to Peak Season: Strategy & Best Practices

Brandfox recently hosted a peak season strategy webinar with CEO & Founder, Court Abel and ShipHero Business Operations & Co-Founder of Black Wolf, Alex Lewkowict. They discussed a variety of topics ranging from pumpkin spice lattes to Labor Day to forecasting. Check out a synopsis of their multi-perspective discussion here ⤵️ 

What is peak season?

Alex said it best when he said “Peak season is our Super Bowl.” Peak season is a time from early November until around December 22nd when there is a spike in the normal level of eCommerce sales.

There is also a varying time frame for direct-to-consumer (DTC) peak, and business-to-business (B2B) peak. B2B/retailers will have an earlier peak season getting ready for the in-store experiences. That is end caps, promotions, and so on that are happening within the retailers during the holiday season. As we get closer to the expected peak season, B2B/retail will tail off and DTC orders will start to go crazy. 

What’s the “Labor Day Day Litmus Test?”

Court likes to say that Labor Day is the “initial stress test” for the Brandfox team when getting ready for peak season. The team takes a long weekend, and then is required to fulfill all the orders that came in while they were out. After the long weekend, preparations and discussions begin where the Brandfox team really breaks down each mistake so they can get fine tuned for the upcoming chaos of peak season. 

Alex highlights that one of the keys of a successful peak season is team buy in. Labor day and the weeks following are a great time to really hone in on processes and get the team to believe in the process.

Projections and Forecasting 

Money is tight for everyone in the holiday season, so managing labor, margins, and forecasting correctly is vital. Without accurate projections, collaboration, and proactive problem solving, 3PLs and brands alike face a high potential for mid-peak burnout. 

There are ways to analyze what you can do more efficiently to save time and labor, and now is the time to really figure out which processes are best for your business. If this means rearranging your warehouse a bit so that the pack flows are better, do it. Teams should be doing whatever it takes to ensure that customers don’t suffer. 

Everyone knows that projections and forecasting won’t always be right, which is where managing client/customer expectations and communication is so important. 

Want to hear more from Court and Alex as they discuss the ins and outs of preparing for peak? Check out the full webinar here.