The top holiday shipping tips for small businesses
The top holiday shipping tips for small businesses
The top holiday shipping tips for small businesses
The holiday shipping season doesn't have to be hectic. Use our tips from e-commerce experts and retailers to get ahead—and stay ahead.
Deliver more happy for the holidays with FedEx
The holiday shipping season doesn't have to be hectic.
Use our tips from e-commerce experts and retailers to
get ahead—and stay ahead.
The holiday shipping season doesn't have to be hectic. Use our tips from e-commerce experts and retailers to get ahead—and stay ahead.
Plan for peak as far in advance as possible. When the busy business shipping months hit, you’ll be glad you did. Here’s how to prepare:
- Keep your sales forecast up to date. What’s trending with your target customers? What products are most popular? Get those inventory items in stock and make sure your ordering process is seamless.
- Check on your supply chain. The last few years have shown us that supply chain disruptions can make or break businesses. Communicate with your suppliers to ensure you’ll have products when you need them.
- Work on making your order fulfillment process more efficient. Stock up on your end products and fulfillment supplies such as packaging and labels. And consider stocking extra. You don’t want to leave orders on the table because you lack the products or materials to ship them.
- Track your inventory across all your sales platforms. This helps you avoid accepting orders for items you don’t have or can’t get.
- Bookmark our holiday business shipping page. Find holiday shipping deadlines, visibility tools, marketing tips, and more—all in one place.
- Get recommendations from FedEx Small Business Grant Contest winners. They share what they have learned from previous peak seasons to help you ace this one.
Rack up rewards for all those holiday shipments
Make the most of the busy shipping season by joining FedEx Rewards now. You’ll earn gift cards from brand-name retailers when you ship during the holidays—and year round.
TIP 1
Start prepping early
Plan for peak as far in advance as possible. When the busy business shipping months hit, you’ll be glad you did. Here’s how to prepare:
- Keep your sales forecast up to date. What’s trending with your target customers? What products are most popular? Get those inventory items in stock and make sure your ordering process is seamless.
- Check on your supply chain. The last few years have shown us that supply chain disruptions can make or break businesses. Communicate with your suppliers to ensure you’ll have products when you need them.
- Work on making your order fulfillment process more efficient. Stock up on your end products and fulfillment supplies such as packaging and labels. And consider stocking extra. You don’t want to leave orders on the table because you lack the products or materials to ship them.
- Track your inventory across all your sales platforms. This helps you avoid accepting orders for items you don’t have or can’t get.
- Bookmark our holiday business shipping page. Find holiday shipping deadlines, visibility tools, marketing tips, and more—all in one place.
- Get recommendations from FedEx Small Business Grant Contest winners. They share what they have learned from previous peak seasons to help you ace this one.
Rack up rewards for all those holiday shipments
Make the most of the busy shipping season by joining FedEx Rewards now. You’ll earn gift cards from brand-name retailers when you ship during the holidays—and year round.
Many people start their online holiday shopping in early October. To motivate customers to order from you before the rush, you can:
- Use promotions like free or reduced shipping. If you choose to offer free shipping, consider a longer delivery time. That translates to more cost-effective processing and shipping.
- Include promotional materials in orders. What about a branded holiday sticker or greeting card? With more than 2,000 FedEx Office locations across the country, printing is a snap. See our range of services and discover special printing offers.
TIP 2
Incentivize early shopping
Many people start their online holiday shopping in early October. To motivate customers to order from you before the rush, you can:
- Use promotions like free or reduced shipping. If you choose to offer free shipping, consider a longer delivery time. That translates to more cost-effective processing and shipping.
- Include promotional materials in orders. What about a branded holiday sticker or greeting card? With more than 2,000 FedEx Office locations across the country, printing is a snap. See our range of services and discover special printing offers.
Don’t miss out on opportunities to reach more customers and grow your business:
- Capture Cyber 5 shoppers. Cyber 5 is the five-day period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday. Be ready for these November shoppers. Have plenty of products in stock and ready to ship. And don't forget to order packaging supplies such as boxes, tape, and cushioning materials.
- Plan out promotions. Many big retailers promote heavily throughout the holiday season. Customers start to suffer from advertisement overload. Create branded materials that stand out in a sea of holiday content.
- Do your research. Use our 2022 peak-season report to gain an edge. Discover the 2023 consumer-spending trends that will impact your business this year.
Find the most convenient FedEx drop off locations ahead of time. Use those on days when you don’t have a regular pickup or you’re processing shipments later in the day.
TIP 3
Strategize based on the calendar and the competition
Don’t miss out on opportunities to reach more customers and grow your business:
- Capture Cyber 5 shoppers. Cyber 5 is the five-day period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday. Be ready for these November shoppers. Have plenty of products in stock and ready to ship. And don't forget to order packaging supplies such as boxes, tape, and cushioning materials.
- Plan out promotions. Many big retailers promote heavily throughout the holiday season. Customers start to suffer from advertisement overload. Create branded materials that stand out in a sea of holiday content.
- Do your research. Use our 2022 peak-season report to gain an edge. Discover the 2023 consumer-spending trends that will impact your business this year.
Find the most convenient FedEx drop off locations ahead of time. Use those on
days when you don’t have a regular pickup or you’re processing shipments later in the day.
Communication is key. Keep your customers informed and updated every step of the way. Here’s how:
- Designate a holiday “order by” shipping deadline that you feel confident you can meet. Use your promotion schedule and order projections to guide you. Then, tell your customers—early and often—what that date is.
- There’s a chance that sales will go above and beyond your expectations. That’s a good problem to have! But it could cause delays if you’re not prepared. Add a disclaimer about delays to your checkout page to avoid overpromising.
- If you have limited quantities of certain items, show that on your site so people won’t be disappointed.
TIP 4
Create happier customers by managing their expectations
Communication is key. Keep your customers informed and updated every step of the way. Here’s how:
- Designate a holiday “order by” shipping deadline that you feel confident you can meet. Use your promotion schedule and order projections to guide you. Then, tell your customers—early and often—what that date is.
- There’s a chance that sales will go above and beyond your expectations. That’s a good problem to have! But it could cause delays if you’re not prepared. Add a disclaimer about delays to your checkout page to avoid overpromising.
- If you have limited quantities of certain items, show that on your site so people won’t be disappointed.
Tracking your inventory is a continuous process. Stay organized and be aware of changes that may affect orders. Ask yourself these questions:
- How many orders are coming in?
- How are people responding to promotions?
- What’s my available inventory?
- How well are my fulfillment processes keeping up with demand?
- Do I need to adjust my “order by” shipment cutoff? If you do, promote gift cards after the cutoff date. They don’t require shipping, and they surprise and delight the recipient. As an added bonus, they help you grow your customer base.
TIP 5
Monitor your volumes closely
Tracking your inventory is a continuous process. Stay organized and be aware of changes that may affect orders. Ask yourself these questions:
- How many orders are coming in?
- How are people responding to promotions?
- What’s my available inventory?
- How well are my fulfillment processes keeping up with demand?
- Do I need to adjust my “order by” shipment cutoff? If you do, promote gift cards after the cutoff date. They don’t require shipping, and they surprise and delight the recipient. As an added bonus, they help you grow your customer base.
Customers would rather have too much information than not enough. And keeping them in the loop can reduce your customer service calls and emails. Here are some ideas:
- Send tracking information with order confirmations. Explain how customers can sign up for automatic notifications.
- Communicate proactively about where an order is in the fulfillment process. Send alerts to customers when the order is packed, shipped, out for delivery, and delivered.
- Set up delivery-delay notifications.
- Add post-order FAQs to your website and email communications. This will help customers find relevant information on their order status, tracking details, and returns process.
- Encourage customers to sign up for FedEx Delivery Manager®. It gives them more control over when and where they get deliveries. One of the features is picture proof of delivery, which shows them exactly where a package was delivered.
Manage up to 20,000 shipments with a personalized tracking dashboard. Advanced tracking is a free and easy way to improve customer service and decrease costs.
TIP 6
Overcommunicate order status to buyers
Customers would rather have too much information than not enough. And keeping them in the loop can reduce your customer service calls and emails. Here are some ideas:
- Send tracking information with order confirmations. Explain how customers can sign up for automatic notifications.
- Communicate proactively about where an order is in the fulfillment process. Send alerts to customers when the order is packed, shipped, out for delivery, and delivered.
- Set up delivery-delay notifications.
- Add post-order FAQs to your website and email communications. This will help customers find relevant information on their order status, tracking details, and returns process.
- Encourage customers to sign up for FedEx Delivery Manager®. It gives them more control over when and where they get deliveries. One of the features is picture proof of delivery, which shows them exactly where a package was delivered.
Manage up to 20,000 shipments with a personalized tracking dashboard. Advanced tracking is a free and easy way to improve customer service and decrease costs.
Small-business owners know that things don’t always go as planned. Make the unexpected less stressful. Keep in mind that:
- There may be inclement weather like snow and ice. That can affect shipping services and delay deliveries. Sign up for service alerts to stay informed about weather and events that could impact shipping times.
- Delivery notifications keep you and your customers in the know. Sign up for delivery notifications, and ask your customers to do the same.
TIP 7
Prepare to pivot
Small-business owners know that things don’t always go as planned. Make the unexpected less stressful. Keep in mind that:
- There may be inclement weather like snow and ice. That can affect shipping services and delay deliveries. Sign up for service alerts to stay informed about weather and events that could impact shipping times.
- Delivery notifications keep you and your customers in the know. Sign up for delivery notifications, and ask your customers to do the same.
Consolidating customers’ orders and your shipment pickups saves time and money. You can:
- Offer a product or shipping discount to encourage order consolidation. This can significantly reduce your fulfillment efforts and shipping costs. Customers get their entire order at the same time with less packaging waste.
- Drop off packages on the go. Choose from thousands of FedEx Office, FedEx Ship Center®, Walgreens, Dollar General, and grocery locations nationwide. Some are even open 24 hours.
- Simplify your routine with regularly scheduled pickups. Arrange for recurring pickups to avoid having to schedule individual pickups or drop off packages.
TIP 8
Streamline holiday shipping
Consolidating customers’ orders and your shipment pickups saves time and money. You can:
- Offer a product or shipping discount to encourage order consolidation. This can significantly reduce your fulfillment efforts and shipping costs. Customers get their entire order at the same time with less packaging waste.
- Drop off packages on the go. Choose from thousands of FedEx Office, FedEx Ship Center®, Walgreens, Dollar General, and grocery locations nationwide. Some are even open 24 hours.
- Simplify your routine with regularly scheduled pickups. Arrange for recurring pickups to avoid having to schedule individual pickups or drop off packages.
Customers may be nervous about buying online. Consider the following tips to offer a positive returns experience:
- Extend your returns window past the holidays. This makes earlier ordering more attractive to customers.
- If you have brick-and-mortar retail stores, allow customers to make in-store returns—even if they bought online.
- If you don't have a retail presence, allow FedEx to be your storefront by encouraging customers to drop off return shipments at a FedEx retail network location.
TIP 9
Instill confidence with a flexible return policy
Customers may be nervous about buying online. Consider the following tips to offer a positive returns experience:
- Extend your returns window past the holidays. This makes earlier ordering more attractive to customers.
- If you have brick-and-mortar retail stores, allow customers to make in-store returns—even if they bought online.
- If you don't have a retail presence, allow FedEx to be your storefront by encouraging customers to drop off return shipments at a FedEx retail network location.
The holidays are busy. We can help. Start by telling your customers about tools and services such as:
- FedEx Hold at Location. Being able to pick up their packages at one of our retail locations, such as Walgreens or Dollar General, creates convenience. It can help reduce porch piracy.
- The FedEx® Mobile app. Customers can create shipping labels and get delivery alerts right from their phone. They can also virtually sign for packages.
Integrate our free FedEx Delivery Manager toolkit into your marketing. It gives customers more control over holiday deliveries and can help reduce claims for missing shipments.
TIP 10
Give shoppers more control over holiday deliveries
The holidays are busy. We can help. Start by telling your customers about tools and services such as:
- FedEx Hold at Location. Being able to pick up their packages at one of our retail locations, such as Walgreens or Dollar General, creates convenience. It can help reduce porch piracy.
- The FedEx® Mobile app. Customers can create shipping labels and get delivery alerts right from their phone. They can also virtually sign for packages.
Integrate our free FedEx Delivery Manager toolkit into your marketing. It gives customers more control over holiday deliveries and can help reduce claims for missing shipments.
Take the time to do your research and prep work—
it’s worth it. Communicate with your customers and
share tools that give them more control over
deliveries. You'll be all set for a successful peak
season.
Take the time to do your research and prep work—it’s worth it. Communicate with your customers and share tools that give them more control over deliveries. You'll be all set for a successful peak season.