This won’t be a surprise to anyone who has spent the COVID-19 lockdowns making unnecessary purchases (we’re not pointing fingers, just stating facts 😐), but the holiday season is going to be a shipping free-for-all.
What do we mean by that? Well, even the premier shipping companies are preparing for “shipaggedon,” a shortage of the proper staffing and logistics to deliver all packages on time. That’s right folks, we’ve reached max capacity for shipping!
Now, we see the good and the bad, because we’re silver lining types. The good news is that online sales, in eCommerce especially, are thriving. Yay team! However, a lot of this is because individuals are less likely to do their regular shopping in-store. Experts anticipate that this trend will just be amplified by the holiday season, and peak season shipping will be at an all time high.
There is potential that during the 2020 holiday season, shipping companies will have a shortfall of as many as 7 million packages a day.
Eek.
So what should D2C eCommerce stores do to prepare?
📦 Encourage customers to shop early.
📦 Introduce incentives to compel shoppers to make purchases ahead of peak shipping times.
📦 Prepare messaging around potential shipping delays.
📦 Provide transparent shipping expectations and disclaimers at or before checkout.
📦 Plan promotions to avoid high-demand shipping days (like Mondays).
📦 Offer discounts for bundling purchases and consolidating orders into one shipment.