The Peak Season eCommerce 2024 represents one of the crucial times for online sales, with events such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the Christmas period attracting millions of consumers to digital sales channels.
In short, a much-awaited moment for both consumers – who can’t wait to grab some good deals online – and merchants – who have the opportunity to make great sales and win new customers.
If ‘trepidation’ is the word that best describes the mood of eShoppers for the Peak Season eCommerce 2024, for merchants there is also another word that characterises this time of year and that is ‘worry’. Yes, because during the Peak Season eCommerce orders increase and managing them all effectively is not easy. That’s why a key aspect in dealing with the peak season is optimising logistics.
Don’t worry though, all you need to do to make everything run smoothly is to prepare yourself in good time. How? Thanks to GEL Proximity’s guide to Peak Season eCommerce 2024. In this article, you will find everything you need to know in order to best prepare for the peak online shopping season. Let’s get started!
What is Peak Season eCommerce and why optimising logistics is crucial
The Peak Season eCommerce is that time of year when the volume of online shopping is extraordinarily high. Events such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas shopping increase traffic on eCommerce sites exponentially, with consumers taking advantage of discounts and special offers for themselves, or perhaps to get ahead with Christmas presents.
However, this increase in sales also entails significant logistical challenges: the management of orders and shipments becomes complex, with the risk of late deliveries, increased returns and customer dissatisfaction. Optimising your eCommerce from a logistical point of view, especially in view of the peak season, therefore means ensuring that every order is handled and shipped as efficiently as possible.
In a moment we will also reveal an easy, efficient and effective solution to optimise your eCommerce logistics, but first let’s take stock of the crucial dates of the Peak Season eCommerce 2024.
Key dates of the Peak Season eCommerce 2024
The Peak Season 2024 includes several key moments, each with its own specific impact on sales and logistics flow. Here is a list of the key dates to keep in mind:
- Halloween (31 October 2024): although not an event traditionally associated with eCommerce, Halloween has gained great popularity online in recent years, with sales mainly related to costumes, decorations and themed products. Online, in fact, the choice is often wider and cheaper costs guarantee a large influx of sales.
- Single’s Day (11 November 2024): originated in China, Single’s Day is now the largest online shopping event in the world. Global platforms are increasingly adopting this occasion to offer discounts and special promotions, especially in fashion and technology. What better cure than a bit of shopping (online, that is) to forget you don’t have a better half?
- Black Friday (29 November 2024): probably the most famous shopping event, Black Friday is the official start of the eCommerce peak season. On this day – which has now stretched to as long as a week – retailers offer massive discounts on a wide range of products, attracting millions of online shoppers.
- Cyber Monday (2 December 2024): originally dedicated to electronics and technology, Cyber Monday is now an event that spans all product categories. Online sales continue to grow exponentially on this date, which has now become a natural extension of Black Friday.
- Christmas (25 December 2024): the holiday season is the heart of the peak season. The weeks leading up to Christmas see an intensification of online sales, as shoppers rush to buy presents for their loved ones.
- Post-Christmas sales (26 December 2024 onwards): the sales following the Christmas holiday period represent an opportunity for retailers to clear out inventory, with many consumers taking advantage of the available discounts to treat themselves to a few bargains.
Trends and Forecasts for the Peak Season eCommerce 2024
The year 2024 promises to be a year of evolution for the eCommerce sector, with significant changes in consumer habits and customer expectations.
Here are, more specifically, some key trends that will influence the Peak Season 2024 and how these, in turn, will be reflected in logistics:
Increase in online sales and expectations of quick delivery
Online shopping is growing steadily, driven by a mix of convenience and wide offer. However, consumers expect increasingly fast and flexible delivery, which puts pressure on retailers and their supply chains.
The use of solutions such as Locker and Pick-up Points therefore becomes essential in order to meet these expectations without increasing shipping costs. But more on this in a moment.
Omnichannel purchasing experiences
eShoppers, who have become familiar with digital sales channels, like to use more and more different devices and platforms to shop, perhaps choosing products online to finalise the purchase in shop, or conversely trying products in shops and then buying online. Omnichannel strategies that integrate online and offline sales will therefore continue to grow in popularity. In this context, Click & Collect delivery methods can help meet the needs of consumers and retailers simultaneously.
Sustainability and environmental commitment
Sustainability is a central issue for modern consumers, especially during periods of mass buying such as the peak season. Companies that manage to integrate ecological solutions will therefore be perceived positively by consumers, which will also benefit their sales.
Artificial intelligence and automation
Technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics are revolutionising eCommerce logistics. In 2024, increased adoption of AI solutions is expected to optimise warehouse management and demand forecasting. Automated picking solutions, such as Lockers, are also part of this logistics automation trend.
Flexible payments and customised offers
Flexible payment methods, such as ‘buy now, pay later’ (BNPL), and offering customised discounts through data analysis, will be another important driver. The peak season 2024 will see an increase in the adoption of these solutions to further boost sales.
Why Lockers and Retreat Points are crucial during the Peak Season (and beyond)
And here we finally come to the practical – and useful, above all – tips to best prepare you for the Peak Season eCommerce 2024.
As we anticipated, during the Peak Season, efficiency in the handling of shipments becomes a crucial factor.
In this context, solutions such as Locker and Pick-up Points are gaining increasing popularity among retailers and consumers, especially for their ability to offer greater flexibility, reduce delivery time and costs, and improve sustainability.
Here, then, is why Out Of Home delivery solutions are the best practical advice we can give you to prepare for the Peak Season 2024 and why you should not do without Lockers and Pick-up Points not only during this time of year, but also in all other months.
Collection flexibility for the customer
Out-of-home delivery solutions offer customers an extremely flexible collection experience. Instead of having to wait for home delivery, consumers can choose when and where to pick up their purchases, without having to wait at home for the courier. In other words, these solutions are better suited to consumers’ busy schedules. This flexibility is particularly appreciated during the hectic peak season, when delivery times can become more unpredictable.
Reducing Shipping Costs for eCommerce
Sending individual orders to thousands of different addresses increases logistics and shipping costs enormously, every merchant knows this. Locker and Pick-up Points, on the other hand, allow centralising deliveries, reducing the number of stops and optimising courier routes. This can significantly cut transport costs and reduce workload (and errors!) at peak times.
Increase in delivery speed
By centralising shipments at pick-up points, not only are costs positively affected, but also delivery times can be significantly reduced. Automated Lockers, in particular, allow couriers to make multiple deliveries at one point, speeding up the whole process, to the delight of your customers who look forward to using your products.
Improving sustainability
The sustainability aspect, as we have seen, is increasingly crucial. Every year, home deliveries during the peak season increase CO₂ emissions due to increased traffic and fragmented deliveries. Pick-up Points and Lockers make it possible to reduce the number of home deliveries and optimise routes, thus reducing the environmental impact. In addition to being environmentally friendly, this solution is also appreciated by consumers who are becoming more and more environmentally aware.
Why and how to integrate Lockers and Pick-up Points to your online shop for the Peak Season 2024
In short, as we have seen, the integration of Lockers and Pick-up Points with online stores can be a huge competitive advantage during the Peak Season eCommerce 2024.
Not only do they improve the user experience and increase customer satisfaction through timely and flexible deliveries, thus also reducing the risk of returns due to delays or absences at the time of delivery, but centralising deliveries reduces shipping costs and logistical complexity, enabling eCommerce to maintain higher profit margins even during peak sales.
In a context of rising customer expectations, these solutions can make the difference between an excellent and a disappointing shopping experience, especially during the most critical times of the year.
How to integrate a Network of Lockers and Pick-up Points to your online store
If you are looking for a solution that can help you manage all this quickly and easily (the Peak Season is just around the corner), you can rely on GEL Proximity!
Thanks to our Network of more than 200,000 Pick-up Points and Lockers already active nationwide and internationally, you can immediately offer your customers the possibility to pick up their orders online in a flexible way.
You can connect GEL Proximity using our dedicated libraries and APIs, or by downloading the module/plugin from your eCommerce software’s marketplace. GEL Proximity is a Pay per Ship service, i.e. you only pay for what you ship when the customer chooses the pick-up option at a Locker or Pick-up Point.
