Christmas shipping
strategies for retailers

Christmas is the most widely celebrated holiday in the UK and one of the busiest periods of the year for retailers. During the 2022 peak season, 50% of e-commerce customers increased the quantity of their online shopping. Despite cost of living increases, online purchasing over the festive period is expected to rise this year.

With this in mind, it's a good idea for retailers to prepare for extra shipping volumes. Planning ahead is crucial to ensure smooth operations and a positive delivery experience for customers. It’s important to get this part right, with 85% of online shoppers unwilling to forgive a brand after a negative delivery experience. Read on for our Christmas shipping strategies to help your business to prepare for this busy period.

It's a good idea to let your customers know when your shipping cut off dates are for arrival before Christmas Day. Check with your shipping service provider what their last postage dates for Christmas are as this will vary by provider.

Apart from helping to promote any seasonal offers you might have, social media is a great tool for keeping customers informed. Use your social media accounts to remind customers about your final postage dates for Christmas. This can help to avoid disappointment for customers who miss the cut-off date. For example, if a customer has their eye on the perfect gift for a loved one, reminders can help them to make sure they purchase it in time for Christmas.

If possible, let your shipping service provider know your projected sales volumes in advance. This gives them time to plan ahead to meet demand, which can lead to fewer logistics issues when demand starts to ramp up. Unsure how to predict your sales volumes? Taking a closer look at your sales figures from last year could be a good place to start.

Delivery costs can add up, especially during the festive season when many gifts are on the shopping list. Although online shopping provides convenience, the prospect of additional delivery costs may deter customers. Reducing or removing shipping fees, where possible, may remove this barrier and provide further incentive for customers to shop online. For example, you could remove shipping fees for items over a certain price threshold.

Data shows that shipping costs cause 47% of online shoppers to abandon their carts at the checkout. Additionally, another study by Inmar Intelligence suggests that free shipping has the potential to significantly increase sales, with 78% of customers willing to spend more to qualify for free delivery. This strategy won't work for all businesses, but it may help to reduce cart abandonment.

The festive season is a peak shipping period with high demand. Unexpected events such as bad weather conditions can cause delays and impact the delivery process. A good shipping service provider with an extensive transportation and logistics network can help here and will be the most resilient to unexpected delays, providing the most reliable delivery service.

When your customers are shopping for gifts for their friends and family, they want to be reassured their items will arrive before Christmas. Keeping your customers informed during the delivery process is a great way to build trust. It will give customers peace of mind that their parcel will arrive on time. Check your shipping service provider is able to provide your customers with delivery updates.

It's not just your customers that this will benefit. Transparent delivery services can mean less customer queries, taking some much-needed pressure off your customer service team.