Prepare for Peak!
It's never too early to begin preparing for peak season. By reviewing and improving your processes now, you'll set yourself up for success when the rush hits.
Check out the toolkit below!
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Equip your ecommerce business for peak season success with our comprehensive tool kit designed to streamline your shipping operations, enhance efficiency, and ensure smooth, on-time deliveries during the busiest time of the year.
The busiest days of peak season include Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday.* These days, plus Small Business Saturday and Cyber Sunday, made up 16.2% of U.S. retail ecommerce sales during the 2023 peak season. Cyber Monday is traditionally the biggest online shopping day of the year, with consumers spending about $12 billion in 2023.
*In 2024, Thanksgiving will fall on 11/28, Black Friday on 11/29, and Cyber Monday on 12/2.
We don't have a crystal ball (sadly), but we can predict consumer spending patterns based on current economic conditions and data from previous peak seasons. Last year, consumers spent $964.4 billion during the holiday season. Between November 1 and December 31, they spent $222.1 billion online, setting a new record for ecommerce with a 4.9% year-over-year increase.
Will the upward trend continue? While Emarketer predicts that 2024 U.S. holiday retail sails will see 4.8% growth, seller should be aware that high inflation and interest rates are causing people to spend cautiously and hunt for the best bargains. Still, as National Retail Federation (NRF) puts it, the "resiliency of consumers" should fuel moderate growth throughout 2024.
Peak season surcharges are additional fees that carriers charge during periods of high demand. Shipping carriers usually announce their peak season surcharges in September or October, so we don't yet know what the 2024 surcharges will be. However, we can look at last year's numbers for an idea of what to expect.
In 2023, USPS announced that they would not have peak season surcharges. UPS surcharges ranged from $1.35 to $7.50 per package, depending on shipping service and a company's historical shipment volume. FedEx surcharges ranged from $1.35 to $7.40 depending on shipping service and historical volume. Get the full breakdown here.
Your customers will likely want to know the latest date they can place their orders to have them delivered in time for Christmas. Each year, carriers release their shipping deadlines so you can keep customers informed and manage expectations. You can expect to find the 2024 deadlines around the start of peak season, but it may be helpful to review the 2023 deadlines for domestic and international shipping through USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL eCommerce.
Last peak season, nearly 12% of online orders were returned on average. Items purchased during Christmas week had the highest return rate at 19%. With such a high rate of returns, it's important that you have a great reverse logistics process in place to handle returns quickly and efficiently.
During peak season, customers are especially concerned with receiving their deliveries by the promised deadline. Other top priorities include proof of delivery (83%), easy-to-use package tracking (80%), and flexible delivery times (68%).
Customers also want the option to pick products up from the store. The closer the holidays are, the more customers value a buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS) option. Starting the first week of November 2023, at least 22% of online orders were picked up weekly, and that number rose to 33% the week of Christmas.
Many people also want fast shipping options, including same and next-day delivery. Gen Z is especially interested in expedited delivery, with over half of them saying they're willing to pay more for it.
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Podcast Episode: Preparing for Peak Season
This episode of Unboxing Logistics sits down with Tom Butt, Sr. Manager of Customer Success at EasyPost; formerly the Chief Customer Success Officer for Summit Advisory Team and Elevate.
Topics include the peak season sprint, navigating carrier capacity challenges, preparing your team for peak season, and more!
Solve your Peak Season Shipping Challenges
Optimize your transportation with Summit Advisory Team
Peak season can be overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be. Summit's Transportation Optimization offering provides the insights and tools you need to tackle common shipping challenges head on.
"What [peak season is] doing is stress testing your fulfillment and your supply chain systems. And that's across your people, your processes, your technology, your inventory, your sales teams. Everyone is getting pushed to their limit. So think of it as, the rest of the year is kind of a job . . . but this is really where you need to sprint."
![Carbon-Neutral_Badge-2x Carbon-Neutral_Badge-2x](https://learn.easypost.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Carbon-Neutral_Badge-2x.png?width=244&height=325&name=Carbon-Neutral_Badge-2x.png)
Ship Clean With 100% Carbon Neutral Shipping
Recognizing that shipping is a significant contributor to carbon emissions, EasyPost is committed to driving change. For every label printed through the EasyPost API, carbon offset credits are purchased to balance out the emissions-all at no cost to you.
With EasyPost, you're not just shipping, you're contributing to a healthier planet.
EasyPost: The Complete Shipping Solution
See how EasyPost helps thousands of companies weather the peak season storm and ensure they come out successful on the other side.