For any eCommerce business, the peak season is the ultimate stress test. Black Friday, Cyber Monday, the holiday season – they can all push systems, and relationships, to their limits. If you’re an established brand, you simply can’t afford your fulfillment provider cracking under the pressure.
Let’s explore six warning signs that your current setup might limit your growth throughout the eCommerce peak season, and the smart move if these red flags look familiar.
If you’re flying blind on inventory across your sales channels, oversells and canceled orders become inevitable.
Data is your best friend, especially during peak. If you don’t have confidence in your inventory visibility, you're less likely to make business decisions that contribute to growth.
What to do about it:
Returns can make or break brand reputation, especially during the holiday season. With 67% of shoppers reading a store’s return policy before a purchase, and the average eCommerce store return rate being 18.1%, it’s vital to treat returns as importantly as deliveries.
If your returns process frustrates customers or is overcomplicated, you risk losing out on repeat custom. Offer straightforward, hassle-free returns, and the shopper is far more likely to buy from you again.
What to do about it:
Late or failed deliveries don’t just upset customers; they risk long-term brand loyalty. But the reality is, ‘bad delivery’ events are often outside the control of your fulfillment provider. That’s not to say they can’t support you in salvaging your brand reputation, though.
The sign of a good provider is one that gives ongoing support in all aspects of the logistics process, even in the areas where they don’t have total influence. If your current provider says “it’s not our problem” when deliveries go wrong, it’s a clear sign of a partner that isn’t concerned about your strategic growth.
What to do about it:
Manual workflows might get you from A to B under normal volumes, but could be restricting your growth in peak periods.
You should never feel like your fulfillment has a ‘capacity,’ or that your provider could hold you back if you have a positive peak season. Over-reliance on manual labor is a clear sign that your systems could crack under the peak season pressure.
What to do about it:
If you only hear from your fulfillment provider when things go wrong, that’s a red flag.
The eCommerce peak season requires proactive planning, real-time dashboards, constant collaboration, and a desire to get ahead of problems before they occur.
By constantly fighting fires, you’re taking away precious time that could be concentrated on strategic growth.
What to do about it:
Growth shouldn’t be just domestic, especially considering how much of a launchpad a successful peak season can be.
Many US brands leverage holiday momentum to expand internationally, continuing growth into the following year and beyond. If your partner can’t handle customs, duties, or European holiday peaks, you might be stuck within US borders.
What to do about it:
If any of the following points sound familiar, it’s not about just patching things up. It’s about finding a fulfillment partner that has genuine consideration for your growth, and one that can handle the pressure when volumes multiply.
To recap, these signs are:
The eCommerce peak season is unforgiving, and your brand’s growth can’t hinge on a partner that drops the ball when the pressure’s on. It’s also vital that you look to grow beyond the peak season, not just focus on surviving it.
If you’re seeing some of the signs listed in this post, it’s perhaps not a call for more patience or compromise. It could be your signal to switch.
The right partner delivers automation, real-time visibility, customer-first returns, and cross border scalability, helping you protect your brand in peak times and drive consistent growth.
Not having this in place for your business is often riskier than switching providers in the run-up to (or even during) peak. Don’t wait until the holiday season exposes the cracks!