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How to Deliver Your Online Christmas on Time

Press Release

By: Zendor
10 August 2006

Online retailers should already have developed their Christmas fulfilment strategy in order to meet consumer demands, according to Zendor, the distance shopping expert. With levels of online shopping predicted to hit an all time record, and in the wake of a number of retailers already unveiling their Christmas lines on the high street, Zendor has prepared a number of tips for retailers to consider in the lead up to the festive period:

• Communication. Share your strategy clearly with all involved; including staff, partners and suppliers. Any retailer can set up a website or catalogue, but a robust strategy is key to distance selling success.
• Handle increased volumes. Ensure you have adequate space for storage. If excess stock is delivered, can your supplier/warehouse cope? The more notice that is given to your supplier of potential peaks and troughs in demand, the more accommodating they can be to your needs.
• Returns. Once Christmas day has passed you still cannot afford to relax. Returns are notoriously high after the Christmas peak and increased staffing and space will be needed to manage them effectively. Call centres will also need additional staff to cope with the increased volume of enquiries that will flood the New Year.
• Integration. By integrating all front and back end processes and systems, from order-taking to delivery and returns, the entire business will have access to all relevant information, from stock levels to customer data, and you should be able to handle orders quickly and efficiently for a successful multi-channel Christmas.
• Staff levels. Staff absences can be as high as 10-15% of the total workforce around the Christmas period due to planned leave and unforeseen illness. Build a good working relationship with your recruitment firm or HR department to adequately cover staff absences at short notice.
• Technology. Most retailers are reliant on internal systems to generate customer advice notes, track deliveries, and monitor stock levels and payroll. In the event of IT failure, have a system in place so that work can continue. If your IT is outsourced, confirm that such procedures are accounted for by your external supplier.
• Manage. It is vital to maintain control with a detailed plan that will allow for delays and unforeseen problems, and still deliver goods on time. For example, clearly communicate a ‘cut-off’ date for ordering goods to guarantee delivery by the 24th December, and consider late or delayed orders being upgraded to express delivery after an agreed date.
• Accessibility. Make sure it is simple and straightforward for your customers to order from your website. If not, you will lose your customers to a competitor.
• Space. Sales forecasts are essential when it comes to assigning warehouse space during the festive rush. Often your warehouse will have to store double the amount of goods over the peak period so using warehouse space cleverly is vital. Accurate forecasts will enable you to plan and organise your warehouse effectively prior to the seasonal rush.

John Ganley, Operations Manager at Zendor has one final piece of advice: “At the end of the day, if things go wrong and you are prepared, then they can be fixed. The first reaction may be to panic, but if you have a good team and suppliers around you who are well-briefed and prepared, then you should be able to sort out problems that may arise without the end customer even knowing there was a problem in the first place.”