Peak Season 2024: The top-selling days in e-commerce

Most shopping events and promotional days are mostly based on traditional holidays, such as the most well-known gift-giving period, Christmas. Others, like Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, or Father's Day, have also become strong drivers of sales, fueled and heavily marketed by the industry.

The best example is Black Friday, which has evolved from a day of shopping after Thanksgiving into one of the largest sales events worldwide.
 

• Amazon Prime Days - always mid July (this year 16. - 17. July 2024):

The "Prime Day" event often lasts for two days and is an exclusive shopping event for Amazon customers. Although the exact date for 2024 has not been determined yet, it usually takes place in July. Amazon offers significant discounts on a wide range of products during these days, attracting millions of customers to their e-commerce platform.

Online retailers selling on Amazon can also sign up for the Prime Day and significantly increase their average sales!

• Back-to-School Season - August/September 2024:

When the new school year begins, parents and students purchase a variety of products such as clothing, school supplies, backpacks, and electronic devices. This is an important peak time for e-commerce, especially in the clothing, stationery, and electronics sectors.

• Amazon Prime Big Deal Days - mid-October 2024 (8-9 or 15-16 October 2024):

Prime members will benefit from exclusive discounts on a variety of products including electronics, home appliances, fashion and more on these two days. Similar to Prime Day in the summer, this event marks an important highlight in e-commerce and is seen as a precursor to the Black Friday rush. Amazon only announces the exact date shortly beforehand.

• Halloween - October 31, 2024:

Halloween is not only about costumes and decorations but also about the purchase of candies, party supplies, and spooky accessories. Relevant online retailers offer themed products at discounted prices weeks in advance.

• Singles' Day - November 11, 2024:

Originating from China, Singles' Day has evolved into one of the biggest sales events worldwide, thanks to companies like Alibaba. It was established as a counter-trend to Valentine's Day, encouraging singles to treat themselves. Online retailers worldwide offer massive discounts on this day to boost their sales.

It has become common to extend the peak period of the Singles' Day promotion to "Singles' Days" or "Singles' Week."

• Black Friday - November 29, 2024:

Black Friday always takes place after the American Thanksgiving holiday and marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. Originally popular in the United States, Black Friday has become a global phenomenon. Online retailers offer significant discounts and special deals on this day to attract customers and boost average sales.

Many companies now extend this marketing event to a "Black Week" or "Black Sale" that lasts for several days or even weeks. What many people don't know is that on Thursday, November 28, 2024, the traditional Thanksgiving holiday, retailers also offer significant discounts.

Learn everything about Black Friday and Cyber Monday in our detailed article.

• Cyber Monday - December 2, 2024:

Cyber Monday has the same background as Black Friday and takes place on the Monday following the Thanksgiving weekend and Black Friday. Originally conceived as the online counterpart to Black Friday, this day focuses on online deals and bargains.

The two events now seamlessly blend together and offer similar large discounts for the same products. Here, too, many retailers extend the originally one-day peak period to a "Cyber Week."'

Find out everything about Cyber Monday and Black Friday in our detailed article.

• St. Nicholas' Day - December 6, 2024:

Year after year, St. Nicholas' Day marks the first significant increase in sales during the Christmas season. Many customers in German-speaking countries traditionally use this day for their Christmas shopping, as many retailers start their Christmas promotions on St. Nicholas' Day.

• Green Monday - December 9, 2024:

Green Monday is a promotional day coined by eBay, taking place on the second Monday in December. On this day, Christmas shopping typically reaches one of its peaks. Companies use this day for attractive offers, generating an additional boost in sales on average.

• Super Saturday - December 21, 2024:

Super Saturday, also known as Panic Saturday, is the last Saturday before christmas and is characterized by frantic last-minute shopping, where customers are inclined to dig deeper into their pockets than usual.

Online retailers also take advantage of this situation and offer special last-minute promotions, including express shipping, to ensure that everything is under the tree in time.

• Monday before Christmas - December 23, 2024:

One of the most important and revenue-generating days of the Christmas season in both brick-and-mortar and e-commerce. During this peak period, many people realize the upcoming holidays and set out to buy gifts in time. 

Most companies entice customers with substantial Christmas discounts.

• Boxing Day - December 26, 2024:

Boxing Day is a public holiday in many English-speaking countries, including the UK, Canada, and Australia. On this day, most stores are open and offer numerous special deals online as well to reduce their Christmas inventory. Additionally, consumers use Boxing Day to exchange or redeem their Christmas gifts and vouchers.

1. Demand analysis and forecasting:

Accurate demand analysis is key to managing your Peak Season 2024. Review your past sales data and trends to create an informed forecast of expected demand. This will allow you to better plan your inventory, staffing resources, and transportation capacity.

If you are a customer of a fulfilment provider like Quivo, be sure to share your forecasts with your logistics company to avoid unexpected bottlenecks or delays!

2. Optimize warehouse management:

Efficient warehouse management is crucial to avoid bottlenecks and enable smooth logistics operations. Utilize state-of-the-art logistics software, such as our Connector, to keep track of inventory, streamline processes, manage orders, and obtain real-time stock information.

3. Avoid supply chain bottlenecks:

Examine your entire supply chain, identify potential bottlenecks, and develop a plan to mitigate them. Ensure you have sufficient alternatives to bridge any potential failures, especially during the Peak Season when it can be critical.

Also, note that shipping service providers impose Peak Season surcharges in November and December, so shipping packages during this period may cost slightly more than usual.

4. Process automation:

Automating logistics processes can significantly improve efficiency. With the logistics software of a fulfilment provider like us, you can automate inventory tracking, order processing, and shipping label generation. This not only saves time but also minimizes errors during peak periods, leading to higher customer satisfaction.

5. Train and support employees:

Train your employees well in advance of the peak season to ensure they are familiar with all processes and not overwhelmed by the flood of orders. If you need additional staff for Peak Season 2024, start looking for them in advance, as it may take some time to find and train seasonal workers.

6. Monitoring and real-time tracking:

Monitor your logistics operations in real-time to identify and address potential issues early on. Use technologies like GPS tracking to track the location of deliveries and inform customers about the status of their orders. This creates transparency and enables quick responses to delays or other problems.

7. Implement just-in-time (JIT) principles:

During the Peak Season, it may be beneficial to apply the Just-in-Time principle. Order goods from suppliers to arrive shortly before their actual need. This reduces inventory levels and minimizes the risk of excess stock or shortages.

8. Outsource your logistics:

When demand increases significantly during Peak Season 2024, you may realize how demanding logistics operations can be. Consider outsourcing at least parts of your logistics to a professional fulfilment company like us, which takes care of your orders in a fully automated manner. 

This frees up resources for you to focus on growing your online shop!

• Find out if outsourcing logistics makes also financial sense for you in this article.

9. Continuous process optimization:

Regardless of whether it's the Peak Season or not, continuous optimization of your logistical processes is crucial.

Regularly analyze key metrics and costs, and try to optimize every step, from efficient warehouse management, packaging methods, communication with employees and customers, picking, to shipping and return processes. See what you can improve, accelerate, or eliminate to make your logistics as efficient and cost-effective as possible.

10. Flexibility and preparation:

The Peak Season is often characterized by unforeseen events and changes. Prepare as much as possible and strive to remain flexible and agile.

Have multiple alternative delivery options available in case certain routes are affected, create an emergency plan if stocks unexpectedly run low, and ensure you have an adequate reserve of packaging materials and other resources.