Logistics issues have an outsized impact on the fortunes of online retailers and this is worsened during the holiday season. The extended holiday season is a big opportunity for all retailers. But because of the pandemic, things are riding on the season a lot more. Most retail operations worldwide have increased investment in eCommerce operations in anticipation. This is great for consumers as they can still shop during a lockdown situation. However, for retailers this year is set to be quite unprecedented. The increase in online shopping activity in 2020 has put greater pressure on the global ecommerce supply chain. These combination of factors mean logistic issues can have a particularly severe impact this holiday season.
Inventory
Efficient inventory management systems are vital to the supply chain operations of retailers this holiday season. This year presents new challenges for inventory management systems especially on eCommerce platforms. Inventory and Order management features are now standard on all the major eCommerce platforms. They help maximize the efficiency of a retailer’s online operation system throughout the season. This is including all the periods of fluctuating sales figures between Thanksgiving and Christmas day. An effective order management system for this season is beyond the out of the box eCommerce solution. BigCommerce enables a centralized inventory management system which eases logistics pressures. DigiCommerce helps clients by customizing the most desired features of an ecommerce platform for such an unpredictable holiday season. With our experience we make systems like BigCommerce work for customer specific needs and unique business conditions.
AI and Analytics
Pre and post COVID AI and Analytics are the backbone of most eCommerce stores. Big Data plays a vital role in virtually every feature of the major eCommerce platforms including logistics. Retailers have many options to choose from based on the analytics capabilities. During the busy holiday season, marketing, inventory, logistics and promotions are fundamental. In 2020, the best of these utilize robust data analytics. Though, every platform provides analytics. It is more important to know how the analytics are adapted to features important to your business objectives. Good analytics equals smarter inventory which has an impact on how logistics issues are handled.
Marketing and Promotions
Marketing and promotions are absolutely vital for all businesses during the holiday season. Consequently, this has an impact on holiday logistics. However, what is key during this busy season is how to align this to a wider logistics strategy. A smart digital operation takes this into account as it enables a more adaptable and cost efficient logistic operation. One that can handle fluctuation in sales that arise as a result of marketing and promotion efforts. This allows management to make more intelligent decisions at a dynamic period. However, good quality system integration and support services are vital to achieving or maintaining this.
Customer service
Due to the predicted logistic issues given the conditions of the 2020 holiday season, customer service is an important consideration. The week by week sales fluctuations of the holiday season means things like return order will be more frequent. This can be a logistical nightmare without strong customer service capabilities. Automated customer service features like chat boxes are a good weapon to battle logistics problems. It also helps maintain trust and brand loyalty. Nowadays, these features uses AI like any other aspect of eCommerce. Good customer service makes retailers more competitive in a crowded market. It can increase customer engagement and the dollar checkout value.
Different things can cause logistic issues during the holiday season. Fortunately eCommerce can help businesses effectively address pain points that help maximize the benefits of an online business. Regardless, companies can only get the best from their digital operation this season with good eCommerce support services. That is where digital agencies like DigiCommerce can assist.