Conflicting Holiday Consumer Predictions Make it More Crucial for Suppliers to be Prepared

Conflicting Holiday Consumer Predictions Make it More Crucial for Suppliers to be Prepared

As we close out summer and begin preparation for the upcoming holiday season, one thing is for sure in this season of Covid – consumers will be spending money for the upcoming holiday season, no matter what.

According to Brandwatch, 44% of consumers think they’ll be spending less on holiday gifts and celebrations this year compared to last year.  However, Net Imperative argues that 85% of retailers believe online sales will increase this holiday season compared to last and are choosing to invest more in eCommerce website upgrades in preparation for this holiday season.

With such conflicting trends, how do suppliers and 3PLs plan ahead to be ready for this holiday season?

Agile & Scalable
Lack of clarity for what’s ahead leaves the burden of preparedness on suppliers and warehouses to make sure that they have not over hired for a slow season, but are ready if consumer spending is strong and requires a quick ramp up. Autonomous processes also allow suppliers and 3PLs to maximize warehouse efficiency to deliver more accurate and on time orders each day.

Simplify with Software
Shifting from manual steps to autonomous processes with software, increases your capacity for more accurate orders without the need to hire additional staff. It also improves order accuracy up to 99% and reduces processing costs to just cents per order. Upgrading with software also optimizes on time delivery to consumers, while managing compliant retailer transactions, real-time inventory and shipping documents. 

Holiday Hires
Implementing software will ensure you’re as efficient as can be, so that hiring additional staff for the holidays is minimal and cost effective. According to Inc.com, stores will require additional staff to meet the demands of curbside pickup and delivery, and recommend staffing up early since the competition will be stiff and the hiring surge could be so significant that it could affect temporary employment statistics for the fourth quarter.

Simplify with OPAL’s 4-in-1 Software Solution
EDI | Order Management |Warehouse Management | Shipping

OPAL is the innovative solution to simplify your small to mid-sized business fulfillment needs in today’s rapidly transforming retail world.  

No matter what happens this holiday season – whether it is slower because consumer spending is down or you’re busier than ever drop shipping across the world to meet the holiday demand, OPAL has you covered.

To learn more on how to simplify with OPAL, click here!

 

Click here to book your customized demo today.  We are here to support you through this time of change and are here to help you innovate and thrive!

Ready for the Holiday Shipping Rush?

Ready for the Holiday Shipping Rush?

Are you ready for the holiday shipping rush?

As your business begins to slow from this first phase of shelter in place for Covid and summer shipping rush, have you taken a moment to think ahead to what you could improve now to be ready for this upcoming holiday season?

According to Salesforce, in 2019 more than 50% of the entire season’s revenue was complete by December 3rd, with the majority of that buying frenzy occurring the week before, during and after Cyber Week 2019. 

With less than 4 months until this holiday craze begins and officials unclear on if there could be a second lockdown with the second wave of the pandemic, OPAL is here to help you prepare now for the next shipping craze ahead.

 

Automation Simplifies
This year has seen supply chains and logistics disrupted in nearly every major industry due to the global Covid-19 pandemic. With safety measures like social distancing reducing the number of employees able to prepare shipments in a day, to the couriers scrambling to deliver the excessive number of packages, ultimately the time between ordering the product and the consumer receiving the product became challenging if not impossible to meet with so many restrictions.

With OPAL, automation shifts your business from manual steps to an autonomous process, increasing your capacity for new orders without the need to hire additional staff and maintaining social distancing and safety requirements in your operation. 

Strengthens Relationships with Sales Channels
Retailers take their brand seriously and look for reliable suppliers who are able to keep up with the ever-changing demand. OPAL optimizes on time delivery to consumers, while managing compliant retailer transactions, real-time inventory, shipping documents and much more.

Up & Running Quickly
The lull before the holiday rush is the best time to make changes to your operations and processes and OPAL requires no downtime to setup and syncs to all accounting and ERP systems without customization required.  

 

Simplify with OPAL’s 4-in-1 Software Solution
EDI | Order Management |Warehouse Management | Shipping

OPAL is the innovative solution to simplify your small to mid-sized business fulfillment needs in today’s rapidly transforming retail world.  

OPAL is the only touchless, self-driving drop ship and order fulfillment software solution in the market today, working 24×7 even when there’s no one in the office.  It processes your orders and gets them ready for when your warehouse personnel arrive in the morning and optimizes the pick, pack and ship process to increase warehouse productivity by 25%+.

 

It Is incredibly difficult to predict anything with certainty during a pandemic, but to learn more about simplifying your processes this holiday season, click here! 

Click here to book your customized demo today.  We are here to support you through this time of change and are here to help you innovate and thrive!