Preparation and contingency planning is central to Black Friday shipping success among eCommerce retailers, says software firm Shipster.
Damian Donnelly, Chief Operating Officer at the custom shipping integration platform, urges businesses to embrace planning to capitalise on the biggest sales surge of the year.
The rallying call follows reports that British shoppers are set to spend over £9bn between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, starting on November 29 - up 4.5% on last year - as cost-of-living pressures begin to ease.
To help eCommerce companies make the most of Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas, Shipster has released a free-to-download guide.
The guide, Black Friday Shipping Preparation Guide for eCommerce Businesses, details the key areas to focus on including: Technology (computers, scanners, label printers); Infrastructure (internet, system updates, software); Logistics (warehouse, inventory, workstations); Workforce (staff, training); Shipping (couriers); and Communications (staff, service providers, customers).
The document also offers industry-leading advice on capacity planning, contingency strategy and stress testing. There is also a printable checklist as an additional visual aid to keep things on track.
Damian Donnelly said: “Black Friday has become a phenomenon that keeps growing. And the following period through to the New Year has remained critical for retailers, including our customers.
“Great preparation ensures you get the most from the peak period, so we would encourage businesses to assess your stock, staff, technology and logistics to capitalise on the sales spike and guarantee a smooth peak season.
“We have created a simple guide and checklist which helps business owners and warehouse managers to focus on essential processes to enable them to fulfil orders quickly and efficiently at scale, and to avoid bottlenecks.
“This evergreen advice demonstrates how to assess, test and fix any issues for this year’s campaign, and any peak period.”
Shipster, based in Manchester, connects online retailers, eCommerce warehouses and distributors with over 100 leading couriers.
Launched in 2015 by software innovator Oddsphere, the tech scale-up supports more than 100 businesses including Couture Club, AYBL, Lounge and Bully Billows.
Shipster's offering is disrupting the ecommerce shipping space offering growing companies an affordable, customisable and flexible alternative to existing products. Once a consumer pays for an order, Shipster automatically creates shipments and courier bookings, generates tracking information and all shipping and customs documentation.
To download the guide visit: https://www.shipstersolutions.com/black-friday/black-friday-guide