Holiday shopping season has kicked off early again – got your holiday shipping plan ready?
This year, 35% of Australian shoppers said they planned to start their holiday shopping before October. In turn, one in four merchants said they were keen to start their holiday promotions before November. Looks like the clock’s ticking.
No matter where you stand with your silly season planning, we’re here to help your small business keep up with holiday shipping demands (but keep the costs down).
How to Prepare Your Small Business Shipping for the Holiday Rush
First of all, to grab a bigger share of the $4.8 billion holiday shopping spend for Australia in 2023, you need a solid plan.
Great news: Our free Ecommerce Holiday Guide has a treasure trove of tips and examples to grow your online sales.
A spike in holiday shopping orders is always a top priority. Yet we know that managing that increase in order volumes can become overwhelming.
The pressure to fulfil orders quickly, manage inventory efficiently, and keep the tsunami of want-it-now customers happy, can be exhausting. Especially on top of the usual day-to-day grind!
But with the right prep and support, you’ll convert the holiday shipping challenges into opportunities for customer joy and loyalty. That’s the growth kickstart you want for 2024.
Start here, with our holiday shipping guide to help you optimise four key areas ….
1. Inventory Management Tips
Accurate Forecasting: Utilising past sales data can help forecast the demand for your products. An accurate forecast will enable you to stock up adequately, avoiding overstocking or understocking scenarios.
Real-Time Inventory Tracking: Employing a real-time inventory tracking system provides a clear picture of stock levels at any time. You’ll prevent stock-outs and ensure you have enough products to fulfil orders.
Supplier Communication: Maintain open communication with your suppliers to ensure timely restocks, especially for high-demand items. Being in sync with your suppliers can significantly mitigate the risks of stock-outs.
Organised Storage: An organised storage system makes for quicker order processing. Keep your products easily accessible, and your warehouse or storage area structured in a way that streamlines the pick-and-pack process.
2. Seasonal Staff Hiring & Management Tips
Early Recruitment: Start recruiting well ahead of the holiday season (Sep-Oct). You’ll want to have enough hands on deck to manage the increased order volumes.
Training: Proper training is crucial to equip your new hires with the necessary skills to handle their tasks efficiently. A well-trained staff will contribute to faster order processing and better customer service.
Flexible Scheduling: Considering flexible work schedules or overtime can help manage the workload during peak hours. Ensuring you have adequate staff during the busiest times will help maintain a timely holiday shipping process.
Outsourcing: If hiring additional in-house staff isn’t feasible, consider outsourcing priority tasks such as packing or fulfilment to reputable firms.
Pro Tip: Think of preparing your business for the holiday shipping crush as an investment. Managing inventory more effectively with adequate staff will reduce the seasonal pressure. You and your (many new) happy customers will enjoy the holiday season even more.
3. Holiday Shipping & Express Parcel Delivery Tips
Every year, customer expectations for fast(er) on-time deliveries spike with the online holiday shopping frenzy.
Research shows 62% of Australian shoppers say they “usually have a fast and reliable shipping experience,” which is great. However, that other 38% is a lot of potentially unhappy customers.
You want to avoid that and keep as many customers as possible happy this holiday. That’s what will keep them coming back and raving about your business to friends and family!
We’re here to help you do that and save money. How? With our full range of the cheapest parcel courier services and freight shipping quotes for Australia and overseas this season:
Fast Courier Delivery Services: Many ecommerce shoppers start early, as we know. But plenty swoop in and buy in a last-minute holiday online sales frenzy. Of course, they still want fast courier delivery options … but at least they’ll pay a bit more.
Pro Tip: New research shows 57% of Australians will pay $6-7 for same-day delivery. Make sure to highlight your same day courier delivery and express holiday shipping options. Do this prominently on your ecommerce website, in emails and other marketing this year!
Competitive Edge: In a super competitive market, fast courier delivery services can set you apart from competitors. Express holiday shipping is a value-add that can convert more customers and keep them coming back long-term.
Operational Efficiency: Our fast courier booking system and reliable carrier network smooth out the shipping process. We make it easier to handle the increased order volumes aross the holiday season.
Interstate Courier Services: Australia’s vast geography can pose challenges for interstate shipping. This is more pronounced during the super-busy holiday parcel shipping season. Fortunately, our Interstate Couriers Service is designed to address this challenge head-on.
Wide Reach: Our extensive parcel courier network covers a broad spectrum of areas, ensuring your packages reach even remote locations. This wide reach is especially beneficial during the holiday season when customers across the country are eagerly awaiting their orders.
Timely Deliveries: Our well-coordinated and fast courier services specialise in domestic delivery across Australia. It’s a reliable way to keep your courier and freight shipping timelines on track even during the busiest times.
Trackable Shipments: The ability to track parcel shipments in real-time gives both you and your customers peace of mind. Transparency in the shipping process is a feature customers want and demand these days – we help you deliver it.
Cost Efficiency: Shipping costs can escalate during the holiday shopping season. But with Transdirect, you’ll get cheaper courier and freight quotes to keep those shipping expenses in check.
4. Ecommerce Shipping Integration Tips
In our modern retail landscape, technology plays a pivotal role in streamlining operations. This applies to small businesses and ecommerce shops in Australia as much as big businesses.
Our couriers strive to make shipping packages cheaper and more efficient for small businesses – before, during and after silly season.
Here’s how our ecommerce integrations can optimise your holiday shipping:
Transdirect’s Free Ecommerce Integrations for Shipping
Our free ecommerce integrations for shipping help simplify your process, from the checkout to delivery, with the best ecommerce platforms.
Pro Tip: See how easy it is to set up free ecommerce shipping plugins for Shopify, WooCommerce, eBay, Magento, PayPal.
Automated Shipping Solutions: Our system integrates seamlessly with your ecommerce platform, automating the shipping process. This automation reduces manual input, minimises errors, and saves valuable time during the hectic holiday shipping season.
Cheaper Shipping Quotes: Customers appreciate transparency in shipping costs. Our integrations provide instant and accurate shipping quotes at the checkout, enhancing the customer’s shopping experience.
Customised Shipping Options: Give your customers the flexibility to choose their holiday shipping service based on their urgency. Our ecommerce integration lets you provide different options, including: Same Day Courier Delivery, Next Day & Overnight Delivery, and Interstate Courier & Freight services.
Real-Time Tracking: Our parcel tracking system provides real-time updates on package and freight shipments. This is a feature that enhances transparency and trust, offering peace of mind to you and your customers.
Efficient Management: Juggling multiple parcel and freight shipments can be especially daunting in the holiday shopping frenzy. Our online platform simplifies the courier and freight process. You can view, manage, and update courier shipments effortlessly, all in one easy place.
Beat the 2023 Holiday Shipping Rush with Transdirect
As we head into the holiday home stretch, you want to end the year on a high note. Your customer experience for holiday shipping should mirror the joy of holiday shopping and gift giving.
When you trust your parcel shipping to Transdirect, you get more than the cheapest courier delivery service. We’re a committed partner, striving to help your small business navigate the holiday season with ease and success.
Sure, our cheaper courier and freight quotes will save you money. But as a free Transdirect Member, you’ll save even more money and time with features to streamline your shipping. Plus, there are no fees, contracts or minimums.
Sign up only take a few clicks, and approval is instant. So why not open your free Members account now and experience the peace of mind that comes with hassle-free, reliable shipping during the most wonderful (frantic?) time of the year?
