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Peak Season Packaging - Are you ready?
Peak Season Packaging - Are you ready?
Peak season is coming – is your packaging operation ready?Â
What is Peak Season?
Peak Season Definition: Peak Season refers to the busiest time of the year.
If it’s travel, this means the summer, when everybody wants to go on holiday, but for packaging? This refers to the time of year when our customers have the highest demand for packaging.
What are Examples of Peak Season?
Peak season can mean different things. For transport and logistics, the peak period starts to pick up at the start of October, peaks at Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and maintains this high until Christmas.
How Peak Season Affects Logistics
In everybody’s warehouses, peak season may look different.
- A fulfilment company’s peak may start earlier, as they are taking deliveries of their stock for peak season, and reorganising their warehouse to get ready.
- For a logistics company, peak season could mean requiring more pallet wrap, hiring more warehouse operatives and delivery drivers.
- For a brand, it could mean organising how you want your products to be presented to your customer when they receive them, so peak season planning could start as early as July!
It truly depends on your industry and supply chain.
How to use packaging to increase customer experience during peak season
Your packaging is the first impression your customer will have of your brand; meeting and exceeding customer expectations is vital.
Customer experience can be harmed by using incorrect packaging materials, which can affect your future sales or lead to costly returns. This is because incorrectly packaging products can lead to the products becoming damaged in transit, which will only harm customer satisfaction and lead to returns. On the other hand, well-thought-out, attractive, and protective packaging will reassure your customer that you care about their experience.
Consider packing your products in the way you would like to receive them, act as though you are one of your potential customers. Focus on the things you appreciate, or dislike from retailers you’ve already shopped with.
A rare break in the 4th wall here – hello! Last Black Friday, I ordered protein powder online. It arrived in a thin box that was way too big, with no protective packaging around it. By the time it arrived, the box was in tatters, and the lid for the powder was smashed to bits. Visualise this, me tearing open the box, and protein powder launching across the room like that scene from Wallace and Gromit. Not only did I stretch the abilities of my long-suffering Henry Hoover that day whilst trying to clean up the mess. I then had to wait for more of the powder to come into stock before I could get my hands on a replacement. Perhaps if they’d used a box that was more appropriately sized and some void fill, the whole dusty mess could have been avoided! Now, back to the content!
How to Manage Peak Demand
Planning for the peak sales period is the best way to maximise your packing process, reduce customer returns, and protect your profits over the peak season. We’ve compiled some helpful tips to get your warehouse and packing stations ready for the busiest time of the year.
You can also download our Peak Packaging Preparation Checklist here!
A tidy packing bench isn't just for Christmas!
Your packing benches are the heart of your packaging process. You can have the best protective packaging, the strongest cardboard boxes or the stickiest tape in the world, but if your packing area isn’t right? Parcels aren’t going to be either.
Work to keep packing benches tidy and free of clutter, mount bulky things such as void fill on the wall or switch to an overhead hopper. You can install shelves underneath your benches with your most used packing materials, so they are not piled up on your packing bench.
Research and Decide Which Products You Will Need
Start looking into new products that may be on the market, or branded/custom solutions. For example, you may wish to switch to a specific type of postal packaging, for example, a crash lock box to speed up packing time.
Look Back on Last Year's Usage
Forecast what you will need this year – your packaging supplier will help you with this if needed. Use last year’s usage and feedback as a baseline for what you will need to order.
Organise Your Space
An organised space can improve working conditions, operational efficiency and increase accuracy when picking.
Consider integrating pick bins, overhead void fill hoppers and linerless labels to help keep your packing area clean, tidy and organised.
Packaging Review - Save Costs and Improve Business Operations
A good supplier will offer a packaging review, where they will evaluate your needs from start to finish and recommend things you may never even have considered. You can book a free review with the Springpack Team by clicking here.
Branded Packaging
Get your orders in QUICKLY for branded packaging – branded packaging can take anywhere from 4 to 12 weeks over peak season.Â
Did you know that Springpack offer a free packaging design too? Try it out below.Â
Make Returns Easy for Your Customers
Alongside peak sales, peak season is peak time for returns, too.
As unfortunate as a returned product is, you can still increase customer satisfaction when they are returning a product, by using returnable postal packaging. Reducing the risk of damages in return transit, and making things easier for your customer, returnable postal packaging means your customer has the materials they need to return your products to you, the second they open the packaging.
Automation
Increasing efficiency during peak, automation works to reduce the amount of time required to pack an order. Considering installing automation and machinery packaging solutions is a great step to streamlining your packaging process.
Automation can be simple, for example, integrating a pallet wrapping machine instead of using a manual dispenser, or complex, such as installing case erectors and conveyors.
It’s clear to see that there are lots of options for your business as peak season approaches, whether that is improving your packaging process through automation or using bespoke packing options to make your delivery stand out. With 50 years in the packaging industry, Springpack have helped businesses of all sizes improve their process – you can trust Springpack to provide your packaging solutions during peak period.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it Peak Season or Peek Season?
Peak season is sometimes spelled “Peek Season”. The correct spelling is Peak Season, as the word “Peek“, whilst sounding the same, refers to a quick look at something.
What Months are Peak Season for Shipping?
Peak season for shipping usually refers to the end of November until the end of December. This is because of the Christmas Rush.
What is a Peak Season Charge in Shipping?
A Peak Season Charge, sometimes called a Peak Season Surcharge, is an additional fee to be paid alongside your standard postage to cover the extra costs.
There are lots of extra costs to logistics, fulfilment and carrier companies during peak, especially companies who offer next day delivery – more lorries will be sent out, more packaging supplies used, and more people will be needed to accommodate this.
For more information on surcharges, please click here to be taken to our carrier surcharge information page.
If you are interested in Packaging, Springpack are experts in the field. Our team of Packaging Experts have all of the answers to your packaging questions. Why not get in touch with us today?