What are the challenges for the Supply Chain at Christmas?

Logistics, Supply Chain and Delivery Concept - Retos de la Supply Chain en Navidades

Se conoce que las épocas del año en el que la cadena de suministro se enfrenta a muchos desafíos son, sin duda, los picos de demanda acompañados con festividades como el Black Friday y Navidad. Estos últimos años, a causa de los cambios en la economía provocados por la pandemia, la cadena de suministro ha … Read more

Why reverse logistics is key to Black Friday

Mujer angustiada hablando por teléfono mientras prepara paquetes - Logística inversa en el Black Friday

It's getting earlier and earlier when you start hearing offers weeks and even months in advance of Black Friday, a key date for Christmas pre-shopping. And that's because more and more large retail companies are deciding to extend these dates of consumption, launching offers before Black Friday and after Cyber Monday.

This translates into a supply chain that is less pressured by the bottleneck generated by a peak demand originally focused on a single day. However, there is a key element in peak demand strategies: reverse logistics due to the nature of the purchases and their expected high volume of sales, of which another large number of returns are expected after the holidays.

If you want to know the important points of reverse logistics on Black Friday and other demand peaks, take a look!

Packaging damage

According to this DS Smithstudy, it was estimated in 2021 that e-commerce shoppers would receive more than 14 million damaged and spoiled products and 64% of online shoppers had already claimed to receive their purchase in poor condition before. This results in a high volume of merchandise returns, especially if the price is more than 25 euros, and high consumer dissatisfaction.

This problem can be avoided without much mystery by applying the right packaging for each product or order. Either choosing the right package size without being unnecessarily bulky, applying suitable protectors for them and closing the box properly avoiding spaces that can be opened. Besides it is necessary to avoid overpacking because, sometimes, it turns out to be more counterproductive for the protection of the article and generate more waste of materials.

It should be noted that staff must follow instructions on how to handle packages, as quick but careless handling could cause knocks and damage the item. In addition, not all products are eligible for return because, if the shipping costs turn out to be higher than the price, it is decided not to take the package back to the warehouse and, instead, alternatives and compensation are offered to the affected customer.

Servicio de entrega urgente ilustración vectorial plana - Logística inversa en el Black Friday

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How to tackle Black Friday with last mile delivery

Black Friday -Foto-de-Fondo-creado-por-Hello-Pixel.jpg

Black Friday is the big event of the year when Christmas shopping comes early and last-mile delivery plays a key role. During 2020, more than 50 million shipments were recorded thanks to the e-commerce drive (Source: UNO Logística, 2020). Therefore, logistics companies expect this trend to continue to grow.

If last-mile delivery is a challenge for companies at other times of the year, at a time when shipments are skyrocketing, it will be even more evident. If you want to know how to prepare your capillary distribution for Black Friday, take a look at the following tips:

1. Prepare well in advance

Companies specializing in capillary logistics distribution have been preparing for months for the disproportionate increase in sales and possible saturation of the system. Everything that you organized 15 days or a month in advance will have to be structured twice as far in advance.

This is because the possible setbacks and errors that you may encounter in your planning will be easier to correct. Besides, you can continue adjusting the preparation as the trends of this Black Friday are known.

2. Analyze past exercises

It has already been mentioned above that the pandemic has driven e-commerce and, consequently, last-mile delivery to unexpected levels. But how has your logistics been affected during previous Black Fridays, and has your industry been impacted to a greater or lesser extent?

In order to clarify all these doubts, there is nothing better than looking at the logistics exercises of previous years. Has a noticeable or very gradual increase been detected? Are pick-up points being used more or do you prefer home delivery? With all this data, a rough estimate can be made of what will happen on Black Friday with last-mile delivery.

3. Make an estimate of delivery times based on actual capacity

Optimizing delivery routes alone is not enough to be able to deliver efficiently and on time. You must calculate the maximum delivery capacity to be able to match the amount of shipments affected by your customers due to Black Friday with the usual distribution volume.

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