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What Are the Major Peak Season Sales Events?
The eCommerce peak season is the last quarter of the year, including the lead-up to Christmas, with sales beginning to pick up gradually in early October. As the leaves on trees start to turn orange and the nights grow noticeably longer, the more organised among us take this as a cue to start planning for Christmas. This early preparation triggers a steady increase in sales, which continues to build momentum throughout the quarter.
Peak Season ‘Golden Quarter’ Begins 1st October
Although not an official sales event, some people see the 1st of October as an opportunity to prepare for Christmas. These are the people who put their Christmas trees up before most of us even realise summer has ended. We all know someone like that, right? (And if you don’t, it’s probably you)! These Christmas enthusiasts start paying more attention to their loved ones’ needs around this time, casually browsing online in search of deals. And if they find the right one, they’re likely to go ahead and start stocking up on presents.
Halloween 31st October
Unlike the 1st of October, the 31st of October marks an official sales event—Halloween. While some businesses benefit from selling Halloween-themed products in the lead-up to this date, for most, it's more of a symbolic event—a turning point in the year. Halloween is the final major festive event before Christmas, acting as a trigger for not just the early planners among us, but society to start shifting focus towards the holiday season. Shortly after this, most major marketing campaigns begin, and you will notice those iconic Christmas adverts, like the ones from Coca-Cola and John Lewis, beginning to make an appearance.
Singles Day - 11th November
Singles' Day, celebrated on the 11th of November, falls at a time when most of society’s full attention has already locked-in to Christmas, and spending begins to ramp up. Originating in China, it began as a day for singles to celebrate, and buy themselves gifts, and has since spread to the West, becoming one of the fastest-growing sales events globally. For those without a partner to buy gifts for over Christmas, Singles' Day presents the perfect opportunity to treat themselves. With spare money that might otherwise be spent on gifts for a partner, many people take advantage of the discounts to indulge. As the event gains global traction, it’s quickly becoming an unmissable addition to the eCommerce peak season calendar.
Black Friday 2024 - 29th November
Black Friday, held on the last Friday of November, is the single biggest shopping day event for Christmas gifts. It’s roots began in 1869 when gold prices suddenly dropped causing a massive crash in financial markets that had a knock-on effect on the economy for years to come. It was termed as ‘Black Friday’, essentially meaning ‘Bad Friday’. In more recent times, it’s turned into a celebration of price cuts on consumer goods. For many, it’s perfectly timed just after their last pay day before Christmas, making it the ideal opportunity to find deals and save on holiday shopping. A lot of shoppers plan to buy their presents on Black Friday, knowing they’ll find major discounts across all categories. As a result, it’s become an essential part of the eCommerce peak season, driving a surge in sales right before the final holiday rush.
Cyber Monday 2024 - 2nd December
Cyber Monday, the Monday following Black Friday, began in the early 2000s to promote online shopping, offering exclusive digital deals. While Black Friday is now just as much about online shopping as in store, Cyber Monday has evolved into a follow-up event with a particular focus on electronics and tech products, giving shoppers another chance to get discounts on tech related products.
Run Up Until 23rd December
Demand takes a small dip after the frenzy of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and then quickly starts to rise again as last-minute shoppers realise Christmas is fast approaching. This period isn’t tied to a single day but gradually intensifies throughout December, peaking between the 20th and 23rd—sometimes even outselling Black Friday. The 23rd is often the final chance to guarantee a happy Christmas with presents wrapped under the tree, as any orders after this date won't make it in time.
Boxing Day - 26th December
Boxing Day, celebrated on the 26th of December, originated as a tradition in the UK where employers would give boxes to their workers containing anything from small gifts to money or food. It has since evolved into a major shopping day, with many using their Christmas money and gift cards to treat themselves to whatever they desire most. For retailers, it’s an opportunity to offer discounts on overstocked items and clear out inventory in preparation for the new year.
How To Prepare For eCommerce Peak Season
Now we’ve run through what the key dates are in eCommerce peak season, let’s cover how to make the most of them with our top five tips for preparing for peak season!
Prepare Seasonal Marketing Campaigns
The key thing to bear in mind during this quarter is that people are more willing to part with their hard-earned cash than any other time of year, however they will still be reluctant to do so unless they feel they’ve got a great deal, which is why promotional marketing campaigns are so important.
Some Christmas enthusiasts might start shopping as early as October, snapping up the first sales they see, while others may take a more calculated approach—making lists, saving up, and waiting for Black Friday to feel like they’ve truly maximised their savings. Then, there are the last-minute shoppers, frantically looking on the 20th of December, purchasing because the offer says, “only 2 left in stock,” out of fear of missing out (FOMO).
The point is that different people buy at different times, but they all buy based on emotion and then justify it with logic. For instance, the early shopper may really buy to feel in the Christmas spirit, rationalising their purchase because they found a great discount. In contrast, the last-minute shopper buys out of FOMO, justifying it with the urgency of the situation.
Understanding that shoppers are often looking for that little push in the right direction to buy is essential, because offering discounts, deals and promotions is the absolute key to trigger these emotional purchases. As with the examples about a proactive shopper and a last-minute shopper, the mindset of customers at each stage is completely different, and different messaging and promotions will resonate at different sales events. It’s important to not just to carry out generic marketing under the guise of a different name for each event, but to really understand each sales event during eCommerce peak season. You must get in the mindset of the customers purchasing at each one, so you can tailor your marketing campaigns accordingly and maximise sales during the festive season.
Optimise the Customer Journey
Preparing for eCommerce peak season means ensuring the customer journey is smooth and efficient. The customer journey refers to every interaction a customer has on the way to a purchase, this means from the advertising campaigns the see, to each page they go through on your website including the checkout process.
You should review your website’s performance by testing page load speeds, mobile responsiveness, and user experience to ensure it can handle high traffic during events like Black Friday.
Simplify the checkout process by offering guest checkout, reducing unnecessary steps, and providing multiple payment options—every extra step, or frictional experience is a chance to miss out on a customer.
Additionally, incorporate upselling opportunities at checkout—integrate suggested or related products or upgrades into the checkout process to boost average order value, one of the most important metrics in eCommerce.
Overall, ensure all necessary checks and optimisations are completed so your site is ready to make the most of peak season and handle a surge in visitors.
Strike a Balance with Forecasting
Now that you have your marketing and customer journey down to a tee to maximise sales during eCommerce peak season, how do you ensure you’ve got enough stock to cover all these orders? That’s where forecasting comes in.
Forecasting isn’t easy at all, it’s a bit of a balancing act. Overstocking means tying up capital in excess stock and potentially overpaying for warehousing and storage you don't need. But understocking? That can mean missing out on valuable sales, something no business ever wants to do!
To get it right, start by analysing your past Q4 sales data—this will help to establish a baseline for how much stock you'll need. Consider any shifts in demand you've noticed through the year for particular products and categories, as well as current market trends and customer preferences, and adjust your forecasts accordingly. Given the unpredictability of peak season, it’s generally wise to add a buffer of extra stock, as most businesses prefer to be slightly overstocked rather than risk missing out on valuable sales.
Calculate Shipping Times of Sea Freight vs Air Freight
When it comes to logistics, having a backup plan is essential. If your products have a long lead time, such as shipping internationally by sea, it can take months for stock to arrive once you factor in manufacturing and transit times.
While sea freight shipping is the more economical option and helps preserve your pricing and margins, it does require careful planning, and with the unpredictability of peak season, this can be a challenge. In these cases, it’s smart to maintain a larger buffer of stock to account for any potential delays.
Additionally, having a contingency plan like air freight—though more expensive—can be a lifesaver if sales exceed expectations. After October, it’s a good idea to review your stock levels, and if demand is higher than anticipated, bring in extra stock via air freight to avoid missing out on sales. Even if margins are slimmer, your overheads will already be covered, and strong sales can still lead to significant profits. It all comes down to calculating lead times and shipping costs to ensure you have a reliable backup plan.
For businesses with shorter lead times, you can afford to keep a smaller buffer and review your stock levels on a more regular basis. You might even consider introducing Just In Time (JIT) logistics, which helps free up capital by ordering stock only when it’s needed. However, whether you have long or short lead times, always ensure you have a backup plan in place. Even the most well-planned logistics can fall apart during peak season, and having an alternative option means you're better prepared to deal with any unexpected challenges during this period. Contact Speedy Freight now who can handle all your air freight forwarding needs, in one place.
Contact Speedy Freight now who can handle all your air freight forwarding needs, in one place.
Have a Back-Up Logistics Plan
Even with the most robust logistics planning and a contingency logistics plan in place, having a fallback when things don’t go to plan is key.
Partnering with a third-party logistics provider who can offer 24-hour same day courier services provides peace of mind when time-sensitive deliveries are at stake. At Speedy Freight, we offer 24-hour emergency courier services every day of the year. We’re here when unexpected issues arise, and are ready to support your delivery needs, including a multi-drop service.
Warehousing & Fulfilment
Outsourcing your warehousing and fulfilment to industry experts, such as Speedy Fulfil ensures you avoid the time-consuming task of fulfilling orders yourself, and parcels are dispatched safely, securely and quickly, giving them the best possible chances of arriving with the customer undamaged and on-time.
Another benefit is the ability to track and manage your inventory in real-time, which improves the accuracy of forecasting during the unpredictable peak eCommerce season. Instead of dealing with error-prone and cumbersome manual stock tracking, fulfilment services provide an accurate, up-to-date view of your inventory, which can be interpreted to spot trends, reorder and adjust stock levels as needed.
Additionally, services like Speedy Fulfil offer flexible storage solutions. Rather than being locked into a fixed warehouse contract that’s underutilised for most of the year, you only pay for the space you need. This allows you to scale up during busy periods and scale back down when things slow, providing a cost-effective option, instead of paying for unused space year-round.
Partner with Speedy Freight this Peak Season
Preparing for eCommerce peak season requires a smart, strategic approach that covers every aspect of your operations, from marketing to logistics. At Speedy Fulfil, we understand the unique challenges businesses face during the "Golden Quarter" and are here to support you every step of the way. Whether it’s offering emergency backup courier services, complete parcel and fulfilment services or providing flexible, scalable warehousing solutions, we’ve got you covered.
With key sales events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Singles’ Day fast approaching, it’s essential to have a reliable partner to handle the surge in demand. Speedy Fulfil’s expert fulfilment services, combined with real-time inventory management, ensure your parcels are dispatched quickly and securely through our Speedy Parcels multi-carrier parcel delivery service. Plus, with Speedy Freight’s same day courier and air freight services, you’ll have the logistics support you need to keep your customers happy, even during the busiest periods.
Don’t let peak season overwhelm you—partner with Speedy Freight today and ensure your business is ready to thrive. Get in touch now to find out how we can help you prepare for the festive rush.
