The final countdown
We are about 30 days away from Black Friday. If your sales are starting earlier that week, then it's even sooner...and well, that sure came up quickly.
We're sure you have your plans in place to make the most out of this peak season. If you are looking for a list to check twice, below you'll find some (hopefully) funny memes and handy checklists for the different phases of peak to make sure you have everything covered.
Pre-peak season
Preparation isn’t just about minimizing risk. It’s also about unlocking hidden growth. Don’t underestimate the power of post-purchase emails and a personalized returns portal, as they are some of the most powerful marketing tools in a retailer’s arsenal.
- Have you decided what marketing campaigns you'll be running during this time and set them up in advance?
- Have you checked your return rules associated with your return portal and made sure it's flexible and personalized?
- Did you run any "fire drills" for customer service reps to simulate order surges, delayed shipments, or sudden spikes in inquiries?
During peak season
Ultimately, peak season resilience comes down to one mantra: communicate early, often, and empathetically. Every order update, every status notification, every resolved exception is a chance to strengthen the relationship.
- Do you have the ability to trigger proactive updates when delivery delays happen?
- Do you have a personalized order tracking page that your customers can easily access their order information without having to go to the carrier website?
- Did you set up post-delivery feedback surveys within your post-purchase emails so you can gather feedback in real time?
Post-peak season
Customer retention is a powerful engine for growth. It is important to fully analyze your return experience. Then, when your influx of returns is over and you can finally take a breath, the feedback and analytics you gather can transform peak season pain points into a strategy for next year.
- Are your return communications configured to inform customers every step of the way? Do you include pre-configured retention offers so they can shop at your store again?
- Do you have return reasons configured on your returns portal so you can refine your returns strategy and operational efficiency?
- Do you have the ability to offer exchanges, store credit, or gift cards so you can recover revenue rather than lose it?
- Are you able to analyze insights for a post-peak season reflection? This includes carrier performance, communication performance, return reason insights, and survey feedback.
Additional resources to help you make the most of peak
We hope you have a successful peak season, and if you are looking for ways to improve for next year, you know where to find us.
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