November and December are typically very busy times for warehouses because of the holiday season and many people are giving gifts to one another, which means lots of retail and online orders need to be fulfilled in a timely manner.
How can you best prepare your warehouse for busy times?
If Mondays and Tuesdays are normally your warehouse’s highest volume fulfillment and shipping days, why not consider delaying your inbound shipments until the second half of the week? This would allow you to split your week up in an efficient way– using Mondays and Tuesdays to get outbound shipments out on time, and then using Wednesdays and Thursdays to deal with inbound shipments.
Also, for busy times, it’s a good idea to put a focus on high-volume products. So, perhaps pause some slow-moving SKUs until Q1, instead emphasizing high-volume products during Q4.
Warehouses need to know about promotions and anticipated spikes “coming up.” Therefore, it’s a good idea to have someone in the warehouse in direct communication with companies using the warehouse, such that they have a calendar of what’s happening, detailing items on promo, dates of sales, and demand forecast information. When companies and warehouses work together well, the warehouses can plan accordingly to handle the busiest times, scheduling extra labor for busy times.
Finally, companies should consider having products inbounded to warehouses in ship-ready formats. This way the products can be easily picked and labelled and sent out quickly. Anything a company can do to reduce the workflow in order to save time during busy seasons can definitely help warehouses fulfill orders faster.
Are you currently looking for quality warehousing services in North America and could use some help? Affiliated Warehouse Companies can help you find partners who can handle things like “Pick and Pack,” logistics, e-commerce and more. If you’re looking for warehouses in the U.S., Canada or Mexico, Affiliated Warehouse Companies can help with your search! Call 732-739-2323 for more info.
