Peak Bulletin 2024 – Issue 4

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Introduction

🎄 Just 2 weeks to Christmas! 🎄

With consumer spotlight on delivery performance now burning brighter, it’s time to navigate the final push.

Key Highlights This Week:

  • Retail & Consumer Pulse: Why delivery choice matters more than ever.
  • Delivery Spotlight: Cyber Week performance, Storm Darragh impact and upcoming trends.
  • Pro Tips: Transparency, expectation management and planning for the final push

For the full breakdown and exclusive insights, keep reading!

advent calendar being opened

Retail & Consumer Pulse

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Retail Economics

As the 2024 Peak shopping season unfolds, consumer expectations around delivery options have intensified. A recent study indicates that 90% of consumers now view two-day delivery as the norm, with a growing demand for even faster and more flexible options.

Moreover, 65% of consumers report they would cease purchasing from a brand after a negative delivery experience, underscoring the critical role of reliable and varied delivery choices in customer retention.

Retailers relying on a single or limited number of carriers risk losing customers and sales due to insufficient delivery choices.

Offering multiple delivery options allows customers to choose services that best fit their schedules and preferences, leading to higher satisfaction and increased loyalty.

Diversifying carriers mitigates risks associated with delays or service disruptions from any single provider, ensuring a more reliable delivery network.

A multi-carrier strategy enables retailers to compare rates and services, selecting the most cost-effective options for each shipment, which can lead to significant savings.

Incorporating a multi-carrier approach not only addresses consumer demands for flexibility and reliability but also strengthens the overall efficiency and resilience of your delivery operations.

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Delivery Spotlight

Impressive Volumes:
Parcel numbers exceeded customer forecasts, with Cyber Monday delivering impressive volumes and strong activity continuing throughout the week.

Carrier Performance:
GFS carrier partners delivered another week of exceptional performance. The disciplined approach to safeguarding their networks, coupled with meticulous resource planning and recruitment, has paid off, ensuring service levels remain strong.

Impact of Storm Darragh:
Over the weekend, Storm Darragh caused delays to Northern Ireland, Ireland, Isle of Man and Channel Islands deliveries. Localised delivery challenges may persist early this week as affected areas recover.

Upcoming Trends:
While we anticipate the volumes to ease slightly this week, retailers remain focused on maintaining seasonal sales. Expect a shift from Fashion to Gifting categories, with Toys and Hampers taking center stage.

Pro Tips

  • Transparency Builds Trust

  • Pro-actively Manage Expectations

  • Plan For the Final Push (Just 2 weeks to Christmas!)

Join the Conversation

Packing of the christmas presents
hampers logo

According to Hannah Lia, Operations Director at Hampers.com:

“It’s usually close to the ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ finale when we see people really get into Christmas, and all of a sudden our orders more than double overnight. So for us, it’s all about using clever and creative ways to spread out the demand in December.

We work closely on carrier capacities daily with GFS and our account managers. So if we need to chop and change carriers, we were able to do that with great flexibility because we’ve got multiple carriers.”

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