Holiday Season for E-Commerce: How Not to Drown in Orders During Black Friday and Christmas

November and December are the busiest months for online businesses. Stores are preparing promotions, customers are actively placing orders, and logistics are working at the limit of their capabilities. During such periods, even large companies are overloaded, and for small businesses, the situation can become critical.

Orders are growing exponentially, employees are tired, and delivery times are tight. It is worth preparing for such a period in advance and not putting everything off until the last day. But what to do? The right choice of logistics partner helps to cope with chaos and maintain profits.

You should pay attention to the offer on the website https://us.meest.com/services/service/business-solutions-us, where e-commerce solutions are developed to account for seasonal surges. Meest-America is an international postal and transport company that operates in over 75 countries and provides assistance, including for e-commerce.

The brand specializes in shipping from the USA to Europe, the United Kingdom, Central Asia, and the CIS. The company offers regular and express services with tracking. In addition to standard options, customers receive services for consolidating purchases from American online stores, which helps save on shipping. 

Meest US cares and creates comfortable conditions not only for private clients. The company offers fulfillment, storage, and commercial cargo to businesses. All this makes them not just a carrier, but a strategic partner with whom it is easier to survive seasonal peaks.

Why Peak Season Becomes a Challenge

Sales in the “hot” months can increase three to five times. On the one hand, this represents an increase in profits, which is pleasing to online stores and other businesses. However, on the other hand, this is a massive burden on warehouses and employees.

Even if the business has prepared in advance, unexpected problems arise in practice. To avoid working at a loss and facing dissatisfied customers, it is essential to plan ahead and thoroughly prepare effective solutions.

Most often, e-commerce faces the following difficulties:

• increase in orders by 3–5 times;
• shortage of packaging materials;
• errors in picking and labeling;
• increase in the time it takes to process shipments;
• queues at the post office and courier delays;
• staff fatigue and overtime.

Each of these points reduces efficiency and directly affects profits. For example, an error in labeling can result in the return of goods, and a courier delay can lead to a negative customer review. 

If dozens of such situations accumulate, the brand’s reputation is at risk. Negative reviews can lower your rating, potentially deterring potential customers from choosing you. Existing customers may not return to you.

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How 3PL Helps Manage the Load

Hiring temporary staff is the most obvious way to cover seasonal needs. However, in practice, it is not always effective. You need to invest time and effort in training new employees, as turnover is particularly high during December.

However, there is a solution, and it is really effective. It is much easier to entrust the process to a third-party logistics partner who can scale up to demand. The most essential thing in this matter is to find a reliable and proven contractor.

Meest-America offers entrepreneurs a comprehensive range of 3PL solutions, including warehousing, order picking, packaging, and delivery. You can track all transactions online through your personal account. There, you can easily create a recipient database, check your account balance, and view the history of shipments.

Predictability is significant for small businesses. Meest US has transparent rates. They also have clear deadlines. There are no hidden fees or surprises. You can focus on boosting sales rather than on solving logistics problems, because this allows you to plan your budget.

Preparing for the Season: What to Do in Advance

Even with a reliable partner, the business owner is still responsible for some tasks. To get the most out of 3PL services while avoiding potential pitfalls, it’s crucial to have your internal processes in place well in advance. Here are practical steps that will help you meet the season with confidence:

1. Analyze last year’s sales.
2. Check warehouse stocks.
3. Set up order automation.
4. Test delivery channels.
5. Agree with partners in advance.
6. Reserve packaging materials.

Each point reduces the load at peak times, enabling you to work smoothly and without stress. For example, by analyzing last year’s sales, you can predict the most popular product categories as accurately as possible.

Automation of orders reduces errors during processing. Even a simple measure, such as maintaining a reserve of packaging materials, gives the business a margin of safety when competitors run out of supplies. However, you must understand that all this only works if you have completed the preparatory stages in advance.

Conclusion

The holiday season is not only a chance to increase sales but also a challenge for businesses. A large number of orders, supplier delays, and employee fatigue can wipe out profits. Nevertheless, with adequate preparation and a trustworthy partner, this period can be transformed into an opportunity for growth.

Meest-America offers solutions that address the main seasonal problems: order fulfillment, storage, delivery, and transparent management via an online portal. Instead of plunging into chaos, an entrepreneur can focus on developing the store and retaining customers.