Economic powerhouse Deloitte expects that holiday eCommerce will increase by up to 12.8% from last year. This would bring global revenue from online shopping to about $284 billion between November 2023 and January 2024.

What does that mean for your new eCommerce business? If you haven’t been through the holiday season before, you may feel unprepared for peak sales season, but you don’t have to go through trial and error to figure it out.

As an online shop owner, you can expect an uptick in sales, which means that it’s time to prepare for stronger eCommerce logistics. ACI Logistix is here to help.

Read on for 12 mistakes to avoid when preparing for peak season.

1. Expecting Business as Usual

Ultimately, failing to plan for the sudden increase in sales is the biggest mistake you can make for your eCommerce business. In the early stages of preparation, focus on getting everyone on the same page, from your supplier to your order fulfillment service. If you expect delays on either end, update expected shipping dates to keep customers in the loop.

2. Skipping Website Quality Assessment

If you haven’t already, now is the time to perform QA testing for eCommerce website preparation. Take special note of broken links, slow load times, and mobile optimization and prioritize fixing the issues that directly impact your sales funnel. Although online shopping increases during the holiday season, customers will abandon their cart and look elsewhere if your website becomes inconvenient to use or crashes due to increased traffic.

3. Dropping Sales After Cyber Monday

By early December, eCommerce businesses have already offered great deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. What you may not realize is that customers keep looking for great deals until the holiday season is over. While you can run your best deals in November, consider offering a few discounted products or promotions while customers look for the best quality and the best price.

4. Running Ads Without a Target

To cut through the competition, you’ll need to run holiday-inspired ads that position your products as the perfect gift. However, you’ll also need to target these ads if you want to see a strong ROI on your marketing strategy. Segment your email list and use social media targeted advertising tools to show off your products to your most viable audience.

5. Not Funneling Sales

Holiday sales result from the perfect storm of organic searches and impulse buying. If you’re only using a single channel to market and sell your products, you’re not generating a big enough footprint to attract both types of sales. Use omnichannel marketing to funnel sales from multiple platforms, from social media posts and ads to email and text blasts.

6. Using In-Home Warehousing

When you first started your eCommerce business, it probably made sense to handle all of your warehousing and order fulfillment from home. Now, it’s time to start thinking about outsourcing your order fulfillment, especially as we make our way through the holiday season. eCommerce logistics experts can cut down on costs while speeding up shipping and increasing customer satisfaction.

7. Charging for Shipping

It’s no secret that consumers have higher standards for their online shopping experience with each passing year. Thanks to eCommerce giants like Amazon, free shipping can make the difference between a successful sale and an abandoned cart. The good news is that customers are often willing to pay more for a product when shipping is free, allowing you to offer free shipping that doesn’t hurt your bottom line.

8. Forgoing Pricing Strategies

As your eCommerce business grows and sales increase during the peak shopping season, your landed cost is probably changing. Landed cost refers to the true cost of each product, encompassing sourcing and importing as well as storing, picking, packing, and shipping. Before you commit to prices for the month of December, it’s time to evaluate your landed cost and the competitive marketplace to ensure that you’ll turn a profit without going too far over market value.

9. Using Poor-Quality Listing Materials

Not preparing for peak season is the biggest mistake you can make but expecting an inherent increase in sales is, perhaps, the second biggest mistake. You can’t expect to turn a profit this holiday season if your listing photos and descriptions are poor in quality. Pixelated photos or listings with grammatical errors and typos are sending the message that your products or business practices are poor in quality, too.

10. Leaving Customers in the Lurch

It’s not enough to promise fast shipping and delivery (even if you know that you always follow through). Today’s online shoppers expect order visibility with a whopping 90% of customers tracking their orders from start to finish. Make sure that your order fulfillment service includes tracking and customer service so that customers aren’t left wondering when their package will arrive.

11. Under-Stocking Products

There’s no way to reap the benefits of the peak season in eCommerce if you don’t have the inventory to keep up with it. While you may not have the time or resources to stock up on all your products, you should at least stock up on your best sellers. Communicate with your order fulfillment provider about the need for increased warehousing, picking, packing, and delivery to ensure they’re equipped to handle it.

12. Letting Shipping Delays Slide

If you’ve had problems with shipping times or last-mile delivery in the past, it’s time to switch to an order fulfillment provider that can handle a high volume and fast pace. While it’s up to you to set realistic expectations for your customers, you also shouldn’t accept shipping delays, especially when orders are time-sensitive. Chances are, items that don’t arrive when promised will quickly turn into refunds.

Need Better eCommerce Logistics for Peak Season? Call ACI Logistix

As we move through the peak shopping season, it’s crucial that you prioritize eCommerce logistics. While you take care of business on the front end with quality listings and omnichannel marketing, ACI Logistix is here to take care of things on the back end.

ACI Logistix is one of the fastest-growing eCommerce logistics companies in the country. Contact us to learn more about our innovative order fulfillment services and make the switch this holiday season.