8 Tips to get ready for the Peak Season Sales

Christmas and Cyber Season are fast approaching!

E-retailers, we are so close to one of the busiest sales periods of the year, and it's time to get ready. According to Deloitte, global ecommerce sales are forecasted to grow anywhere between 11 and 15% reaching up to $218 billion.

Retailers are warning Aussie's not to leave the Christmas shopping until the last minute. You'll need to be prepared for high demand to avoid customer frustration and popular products being out of stock. Shipment delays are also expected at this time of the year. You need to consider surcharges, staff shortages, and other disruptions that can delay deliveries. So we recommend you ship your parcel early to ensure it arrives on time. You can check the cut-off dates here.

Just like the last holiday period, it will be a digital-first season. The pandemic has changed buying behaviour. Consumers are comfortable with online shopping and are more likely to buy throughout the week than during the weekend.

Home and gardening, apparel, computers and electronic devices are the top three categories. There also continues to be year-on-year growth for eco-friendly products. According to the Inside Australian Online Shopping eCommerce Industry report, three in four Australians consider some element of sustainability when they shop online.

So, are you ready for the influx of sales this holiday season? If not, review this list to prepare yourself!

8 Tips to Prepare for the Upcoming Peak Season

1- Review Last Year Peak Season

Reviewing your 2021 insights will help you understand your most popular products during this holiday season and the quantity you will need to have available for your customers.

2- Prepare Special Offers

Think about Christmas promotion ideas for retail. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are about product discounts, but don't forget about Christmas and Boxing Day.

Consider special sales you can offer your customers that stand out from your competitors. For example, free delivery, discount for first-time buyers or a voucher for their next purchase.

3- Prepare a Christmas Theme for Your Website

You will soon start to see Christmas decorations and Black Friday signs inside businesses. Your online store should look the same! Plan a Christmas or Black Friday theme for your website to make your customer feel the vibes.

Try these ideas:

• Banners: Add Christmas or Black Friday banners on your home page showcasing a particular discount or service you are offering.


• Holiday-themed pages or content: Create a category with the products you offer on sale or the most popular items sold last year to simplify your customers' search. In addition, talking about these special days on your blog can gain more organic traffic and increase brand awareness.


• Pop ups: Use them for a specific call to action you want to push. It could be buying a particular product, subscribing for your newsletter or viewing the Black Friday products.

4- Offer a Complete and Fast Checkout Experience

Have you seen Amazon's 'Buy Now' option on product pages? It allows you to purchase an item with one click. It's a feature that is becoming more and more popular. The fewer clicks for the customer will make the checkout process faster and give them a more positive experience.

Offer different payment methods so your customer can choose what's convenient for them. "Buy now, pay later" is a solution that continues to rise in popularity. Offering a service like Afterpay can increase your conversions as more than 16 million people utilise this option.

5- Prepare for Shipping Effectively

• Compare the Shipping Options you Have Available.
  Thanks to our large choice of courier services, you can choose between different services based on the speed of delivery and price. When you offer Live Shipping Rates at checkout you put the decision in your customer's hands and let them choose the one that suits them best. You should advise that deliveries during this sales period are at an all-time high and delays may be expected. This approach is better than apologising for an item showing up late. See how to communicate expected delays to your customers here.


• Automate Your Shipping
  Interparcel makes shipping simple. Do you use our Shipping Manager? You can integrate it with your ecommerce platform with a couple of clicks so you can easily process, manage, and dispatch your orders. Learn more about our Shipping Manager here.


• Offer Delivery Tracking.
  Make sure your customers know where their parcel is at all times. According to a SOTI research, 62% of Australian consumers want real-time visibility of online orders from the moment they make the purchase until it gets to their door. Our Branded Tracking tool offers live parcel tracking to your customers. You can customise the page with your logo, brand colours and a banner of your choice. Watch this video to see how you can customise our Interparcel tracking portal:



• Don't Ship Air.
  Make sure you use the correct size box to pack your products. The dimension of your parcel will determine the shipping costs. Learn more about how to save on shipping costs here. Leave only five to six centimetres between the products and the box. Use smaller packages if necessary, so there is little space between the items. Interparcel has a Smart Boxing option that you can activate from your dashboard. Smart Boxing can reduce your costs by helping you pack multi-item orders into as few boxes as possible.


• Offer Simple Returns.
  You can build trust with your customers by offering a simple way to return your products. Write a clear and straightforward section on your website's Terms of Use page and place this link on your product pages or at checkout.


• Ensure Your Parcel Arrives Before Christmas.
  Check the cut-off times for Christmas deliveries to ensure your parcel arrives on time here.

6- Personalised and Christmas Touches on Your Packaging

Personalisation is essential if you want to impress your customers. A hand-written note, a personalised message on the packaging or a customised product bundle are good practices that will make a big difference in your service.

The same way Christmas decorations abound at this time of the year, your packaging design should be similar. As shoppers are familiar with ordering online, the demand for detail is higher. Retailers need to be more creative than ever to meet expectations. So why not add a Christmas card, sticker or simple packaging items such as Christmas tape to your parcel.

7- Prepare Your Digital Marketing

Start increasing your activity on social media if you haven't started yet. Prepare a budget to invest in social and Google Ads to increase traffic to your online store. Consider what special offers and products you would like to promote and create a content calendar for the next few months. It might take you a couple of hours now, but it will simplify your life during the holiday season. Read this blog to learn about Digital Marketing Strategies to boost your sales during Christmas.

Email marketing campaigns are a win-win strategy for this time of the year. So include them in your marketing strategy to reach a more considerable amount of people and potential customers. If you have a Shopify store, Klaviyo is your best choice. Learn about this tool here.

8- Get ready to offer good customer service

As we mentioned, shipping delays are expected, and you might receive calls or messages from your customers asking where their parcel is. Live Chat is a customer service channel that will help you improve loyalty with your clients. It can provide a fast answer and help you stand out from your competitors. Read our Ultimate Christmas Customer Service Guide here.

We wish you all the best for the upcoming festivities! Don't forget, if you need an easy and uncomplicated shipping solution, integrate the Interparcel Shipping Manager with your ecommerce platform before the silly season starts. Head to this page to find out how to get started today!