A quarter of webshops make no adjustments to better handle the pressure
But what adjustments are these webshops looking at? 20 percent are exploring options to adjust the check-out process, for example by offering extra delivery options. 21 percent are considering adjustments in the logistics process by, for example, hiring additional carriers. All this so that orders are delivered to consumers as quickly as possible even during peak periods.
A quarter takes no measures
There is also a significant group of webshops that will not make any adjustments to better withstand peak pressure. Nearly a quarter (23%) will not make adjustments to the check-out process, and 22 percent will not make adjustments in the logistics process.
Extra carriers, delivery options, and times
The companies that are considering or have made adjustments mainly focus on the order-picking and delivery process. For example, 49 percent indicate they will hire extra staff for the order-picking process in the coming weeks. Another 27 percent will further optimize this process or have already done so, and 34 percent are expanding warehouse capacity.
Focusing on the delivery process, mainly extra carriers are being hired (26%) and extra delivery options (24%), such as pick-up point delivery, are added to get the packages to the customer as quickly as possible. Furthermore, 23 percent of webshops offer more delivery times than usual and one in five works with delivery options that are further in the future.
Jeroen Gehlen, founder of Wuunder: "This year will be a peak period like we haven't seen often. Black Friday falls relatively late this year (on November 29), resulting in the delivery of orders from that day coinciding with last-minute Sinterklaas purchases. There are also challenges with Christmas. Christmas falls on Wednesday and Thursday this year, with many consumers expected to order the Saturday before, hoping that the last gifts will arrive on time. However, Tuesday, December 24, is only a 'half' working day due to Christmas Eve. This gives only one and a half days to deliver all packages from the weekend before on time. Then, Christmas is followed by another weekend, and again there is only one and a half days until the last holiday of the year. All this makes the scenario that consumers who place orders on December 21 will only receive them in 2025 very likely. We advise retailers to communicate realistic delivery times. Not only does this prevent a high number of returns of packages that will not be delivered in time for Christmas, but also a high number of customer inquiries about expected delivery times. This is a better solution than incurring extra costs by hiring more staff and capacity. By spreading the number of orders, you also reduce the chance that products will be returned because they are delivered on time for the holidays."
