peak-seasonholiday-shippingoperations
Managing Peak Season Shipping Operations
Prepare your shipping operations for holiday and peak season success.
January 9, 20262 min read20 views
Peak Season Shipping Guide
Prepare for high-volume periods successfully.
Peak Season Calendar
| Period | Volume Increase |
|---|---|
| Back to school | +30-50% |
| Halloween | +20-40% |
| Black Friday/Cyber Monday | +200-400% |
| Holiday (Nov-Dec) | +100-200% |
| Post-holiday returns | +150% returns |
Preparation Timeline
| When | Action |
|---|---|
| 3 months out | Forecast volume |
| 2 months out | Stock supplies |
| 1 month out | Test systems |
| 2 weeks out | Staff training |
| Peak | Monitor constantly |
Capacity Planning
| Resource | Normal | Peak |
|---|---|---|
| Daily orders | 100 | 300 |
| Staff needed | 2 | 6 |
| Supplies | 1 week | 3 weeks |
| Printer capacity | 1 | 2-3 |
Carrier Deadlines (Typical)
| Service | Last Ship Date |
|---|---|
| USPS Ground | Dec 16 |
| USPS Priority | Dec 19 |
| UPS Ground | Dec 15 |
| UPS 2nd Day | Dec 20 |
| FedEx Ground | Dec 15 |
| FedEx Express | Dec 21 |
Surcharge Awareness
| Carrier | Peak Surcharge |
|---|---|
| UPS | $2.50-5.00 |
| FedEx | $3.00-6.00 |
| USPS | Minimal |
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