Posted by Stephanie on December 3, 2016
For retail businesses, the holiday season is the busiest time of the year. Between Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas shopping, increased consumer demand often calls for increased supply, which means more to manage in your warehouse. In order to prepare your warehouse for the holiday season, you may need to optimize your storage system and increase staff to meet demands. Companies that fail to refine their warehouse management process during the holidays often miss out on potential sales opportunities which may to go to your competitors. The headache that comes along with meeting holiday demand could definitely be done without. Here are some tips to keep your warehouse and fulfillment operations running smoothly during this holiday season.
Improve Your Warehouse Management Process for the Holidays
Secure Necessary Holiday Staff
Retailers realize the importance of increasing staff during the holidays. However, warehouses tend to be overlooked in this case. With increased sales come busier and more demanding warehouse operations. Expanding your warehouse crew for the season is something we highly recommend. Seasonal employees can be a huge help during the holiday season. If you’re not sure how many people to hire, consider last year’s sales during the holiday season and adjust staff accordingly. If necessary, double your team. As long as you have enough warehouse equipment to accommodate more workers in your warehouse, a bigger staff will improve speed and efficiency. Even small businesses should consider hiring an extra set of hands.
Also, make sure your staff expects and is prepared to handle an increase in order volume. Optimize your warehouse management process now to ensure your staff is well-equipped to handle higher demand.
Ensure Your Supply and Product Availability
If you run out of stock on an item during the holidays, your customer is likely to go straight to your competitors. During the holiday season, consumers are more concerned with receiving their purchases on time than the cost. Don’t lose sales due to lack of product availability. Ensure that all products are fully stocked and ready for delivery. This is critical for fulfilling all orders and maximizing revenue. To ensure maximum order fulfillment, stock up on your best selling items in advance to avoid delays and cancelled orders.
Maximize Your Warehouse Layout
It’s important to have an idea of which products will be in high demand. Relocating all your best selling items to a designated area can greatly speed up the order fulfillment and shipping process. Make the order picking process more efficient to reduce costs and make your staff’s jobs easier. Optimize your warehouse layout by organizing SKUs efficiently and maximizing the use of space in your warehouse. If you know you’re going to need to stock much more than usual, it may be a good idea to add on to your storage racking system.
Expect the Unexpected
If your company uses third-party fulfillment centers, ensure that you have more than enough of your best selling products. Since delays are common especially during the holidays, have your shipments arrive to your fulfillment centers early to avoid processing delay.
If you don’t use third-party fulfillment centers, it’s worth looking into. For nationwide businesses, shipping from a third party fulfillment center that is located closer to your customers can reduce delayed delivery times and ensure the satisfaction of your long-time customers.
How We Can Help
Maximize your revenues and profits by thoroughly preparing for increased sales volume during he holidays. Don’t let limited workforce or lack of inventory keep your business from thriving this holiday season! As warehouse solution specialists and experts in the industry, QMH can help you optimize your warehouse in preparation for the hectic holiday season. Weather you need a new storage system, a more efficient one, or more warehouse materials we are here to provide solutions for you.
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