As we wrap up August, a few things become more urgent…it’s time to book that last summer getaway, take that final trip to the beach or get the kids back to school, right?
Maybe you’ve even started thinking about starting your holiday shipping and shopping.
Of course, for eCommerce brands, the time is even more pressing. You need to have your inventory and marketing plans completely set by now, or you might not even have product to sell – or worse, end up paying more to ship during peak customer demand.
If it seems like we’ve been writing a lot about Supply Chain Issues, we have. It’s a hot topic right now, and for all the related reasons we’ve been discussing. It’s hasn’t been this hard to source, purchase and take delivery of product from overseas since the days of the Clipper Ships. And once your overpriced and much delayed shipment reaches a US port, you then need to hope that inland services deliver your product to your door before the final push for the holidays.
At that point, you think you have all your problems solved. Not so fast…you can expect higher prices for holiday shipping services across the board for peak shipping times, and a fight for capacity. Starting on October 3rd, USPS will include surcharges on shipments, and FedEx and UPS are certain to follow suit.
There is some good news, though. Consumer demand is expected to remain strong throughout the holiday season. Even with COVID-19’s Delta Variant causing concerns across the country, and in-person retail likely to suffer as a result, eCommerce sales in 2021 are still expected to climb.
We’ll have more on the expected growth in sales in future posts, and of course we’ll have an extensive, fresh take on holiday prep in the weeks to come.
But for right now, fire up the grill, grab some sunscreen and enjoy those last days of summer…and if you haven’t already done so, you really should start thinking about shopping and holiday shipping while you still have time.
Wondering how Freestyle can help you prepare your fulfillment operations and control your shipping costs? Contact us today to learn more about our industry-leading order and inventory management software M.O.M.
