Top 5 Shipping Tips for eCommerce Sellers This Christmas

The Christmas period is one of the busiest times of year for many eCommerce sellers. As many customers panic trying to find the perfect gifts (and many last minute), the pressure is on delivering their orders quickly and efficiently. To ensure your customers have the best shopping experience with your brand and receive their gifts on time, it’s crucial to optimise your shipping strategy.

This blogpost is going to look into the top five shipping tips for eCommerce sellers this Christmas:

1. Plan Your Inventory and Shipping Early

During the Christmas rush, demand may spike unexpectedly, and you cannot risk running out of stock or facing shipping delays. Start by evaluating your inventory levels and forecasting the demand for each product. Make sure you have enough stock to cover potential orders but avoid overstocking to prevent unnecessary storage costs. Use data from previous years, and even previous months to predict your best and worst selling stock.

You may decide to partner with a 3PL provider who can help you manage inventory more effectively. With real-time tracking and analytics, a 3PL ensures that your stock levels are accurate, helping you prevent stockouts or excessive inventory. A 3PL may also plan your shipping capacity and may help you get items on time by using trusted couriers and having constant pickups and drop offs from these.

2. Offer Multiple Shipping Options

Shoppers are more likely to complete their purchase if they have a variety of shipping options to choose from, and with the rise of Amazon prime, customers expect free and fast shipping. Offer your customers multiple delivery choices such as standard, free, next-day and same-day dispatch. This flexibility can appeal to last-minute shoppers who need fast delivery.

Additionally, make sure you are clear on your shipping deadlines, especially for guaranteed Christmas delivery. For example, clearly state the cutoff dates for standard shipping, express shipping, and same-day services to avoid disappointment over the Christmas period.

3. Track Shipments and Provide Real-Time Updates

It’s helpful to be able to provide real-time tracking information to keep customers informed about the status of their orders. This is especially important during the holiday season, as many shoppers are anxious about receiving their gifts on time.

You may want to be able to send automated notifications at every step of the shipping journey. From dispatch to delivery, keep customers updated with estimated arrival times, tracking numbers, and any potential delays. This not only builds trust with your customers but also reduces the volume of customer service inquiries regarding order status.

4. Prepare for Returns 

The post-holiday return period is just as busy as the shopping season itself. Make sure you have a clear, simple, and efficient returns process in place to handle returns quickly and cost-effectively. A seamless return process can enhance the customer experience, encouraging repeat business.

Work with your 3PL provider to create a reverse logistics plan that includes prepaid return labels, easy-to-follow instructions, and a quick turnaround time. A hassle-free return experience will keep your customers satisfied and more likely to shop with you in the future (as well as making life easier for you to keep track of stock).

5. Choose GNOC

You may decide to partner with a 3PL instead and allow them to sort all shipping and logistics for you. This is a great way to take away pressure from your staff and even save you time and huge costs. 3PL’s are experts in shipping and can help you get your orders out on time and with minimal mistakes. Putting your trust in a 3PL this Christmas can be CRUCIAL to your success this Christmas.

Here at GNOC, we offer 3PL services for hundreds of brands across a range of industries, including fashion, pet supplies, tech, cosmetics, homeware, sportswear, and more, so no matter what your business may be, we are here to help. When you partner with us, you'll get access to our advanced digital fulfilment platform that lets you manage your inventory, edit orders, track real-time stock levels, and forecast stock with ease, as well as having a huge range of trusted couriers in our network, to get your orders to your customers fast.

We thrive in helping our customers grow and scale their businesses. Contact us today, or fill in this short information form, to find out how we can help you this Christmas to be as successful as possible.