The Black Friday phenomenon is approaching fast. It made its way to Belgium a few years ago, and the revenue generated during this period has been increasing year after year. As an online retailer, you can’t afford to miss this opportunity! Your marketing team will be working hard to create the perfect promotional campaign. Consumers must be convinced that your webshop has the best deals! However, marketing is not the only key factor during this period—your warehouse also plays a crucial role. You need sufficient stock and must be prepared for a sudden spike in order volume over a short period. In this article, we’ll share tips on how to prepare your warehouse for Black Friday.
What is Black Friday?
First, where does Black Friday come from? This shopping event originated in the United States and takes place the day after Thanksgiving. On this day, most U.S. employees have the day off. It marks the beginning of the holiday shopping season. Americans flock to shopping malls, and many stores launch special promotions—partly to clear out leftover Thanksgiving stock. Initially, Black Friday was a purely in-store event, but online retailers later adopted the concept.
Even though Thanksgiving has no traditional significance in Europe, more and more retailers and e-commerce stores in Belgium are joining this annual shopping frenzy.
There’s also a digital counterpart: Cyber Monday, which happens on the Monday after Black Friday. While these were originally separate events, many stores and webshops now turn them into a full shopping weekend.
Stock Management: The Key to Success
Black Friday can make or break your business! As mentioned earlier, the marketing team plays a vital role in creating a high-converting campaign. However, no matter how successful the campaign is, if there isn’t enough stock, the promotion will fail. Running out of stock during peak moments means lost revenue and frustrated customers.
Always ask yourself: Will my stock survive the sales peak? To answer this, analyze past sales data and consult with your marketing team to understand their plans. Keep in mind that some suppliers have specific lead times. Checking your stock a week before Black Friday is too late! Place orders well in advance to avoid supply chain issues.
Optimizing Stock Locations
A successful Black Friday sale can lead to an unprecedented surge in orders. It’s important to know which products will be part of the promotion so you can reorganize your warehouse if necessary. Placing these items near packing stations can significantly improve efficiency. Imagine if your bestselling product is stored at the back of the warehouse—your employees would waste valuable time retrieving it. By optimizing stock locations, you can streamline order fulfillment.
Ensure Sufficient Manpower
Predicting the exact success of a Black Friday promotion is difficult. You hope for a sales boost, but you also need the capacity to handle it! If your warehouse team is overwhelmed, delayed shipments may result in negative reviews—even if customers love your products.
To prevent this, consider freeing up employees from other departments to assist in the warehouse during peak times. These additional hands can help process orders faster and ensure smooth operations.
Add Extra Packing Stations
If you plan to bring in additional staff for Black Friday, they need an efficient workspace. Extra packing stations are crucial. They help maintain order and prevent mistakes. Makeshift packing areas can lead to errors, and customers won’t hesitate to complain about incorrect or missing items.
Coordinate with Shipping Partners
High sales volumes mean a surge in shipments. You may have optimized your internal processes, but can your shipping carrier keep up? Your shipping agreements are based on your regular order volume, but Black Friday will likely exceed these levels. There’s a risk that your carrier won’t be able to pick up all your packages in one go.
To avoid this, contact your shipping partner in advance and inform them about the expected volume increase. This way, they can allocate more space in their vehicles or schedule additional pickups.
Keep Your Warehouse Clean and Organized
Many businesses overlook the importance of a clean warehouse. However, an organized workspace improves efficiency and reduces the risk of accidents. Imagine an employee slipping and getting injured because the warehouse is cluttered—this could be disastrous during Black Friday.
A busy sales event can quickly turn your warehouse into chaos. Start the peak period with a clean and well-organized workspace to ensure smooth operations.
A Fulfillment Center Can Help You Through Black Friday
During peak seasons like Black Friday, it’s not just the warehouse that’s under pressure—your customer service and marketing teams are also working at full capacity. If you’re struggling to keep up, outsourcing to a fulfillment center can be a smart solution.
A fulfillment center handles order picking, packing, and shipping, relieving pressure from your internal team. A provider like Webship even offers temporary solutions, allowing you to store and ship selected products through their system. This reduces workload and ensures professional handling of your orders.
Would you like to partner with a fulfillment center to handle peak sales events like Black Friday? Contact Webship at hallo@webship.be.
