Black Friday is behind us! It’s highly likely that you’ve broken your record for daily revenue once again. Black Friday has been another success, but there’s no time to relax just yet. The next peak moment is already around the corner. After the Black Friday madness, your warehouse is typically transformed into a mess. This is understandable, as to handle the sudden increase in orders, you don’t have time to focus on the organization or cleanliness of the warehouse. However, it’s crucial to immediately switch gears and start preparing for the end-of-year period. Here’s how you can manage one peak moment while already preparing for the next.
Order and Cleanliness
Order and cleanliness are often a problem in a warehouse environment. However, as a business owner, you must ensure that order and cleanliness are maintained. Why? It has been proven that you perform better in a clean and well-maintained environment. Also, the risk of accidents is lower when there are no unnecessary obstacles in the way. We recommend sorting your waste so you can keep your ecological footprint under control.
After a peak moment like Black Friday, the chaos in the warehouse is significant. During picking, products are taken out of boxes without removing the empty boxes from the shelves and aisles. The time pressure is so great at such moments that you simply don’t have time to deal with waste management. After the peak moment, you need to process all the empty boxes and other waste. Once the waste is taken care of, give the warehouse a thorough cleaning. This way, you can start the end-of-year period with a spotless warehouse.
Check the Stock After a Peak Moment
Once order and cleanliness have been restored in the warehouse, it’s time to check the stock. During the hectic nature of a peak moment, it’s possible that mistakes were made during picking. This is perfectly normal since people make mistakes. That’s why it’s important to check the stock after peak moments and correct it if necessary. A stock management system like Webship Online makes it very easy and efficient to adjust your stock. Such systems also show where products should be located in the warehouse based on storage locations.
Analyze the Data from the Peak Moment
A peak moment like Black Friday generates a lot of data. This data needs to be analyzed to prepare for the end-of-year period. Modern inventory management systems like Webship Online offer various reports to analyze your stock. One useful report is the “popular products” report. As the name suggests, this report provides you with a list of the most popular products. What can you do with this? You can analyze the stock of the most popular products and, if necessary, place an order to restock them.
Additionally, you can reorganize the warehouse. During peak moments, it’s important to work efficiently. To work efficiently, you need to optimize the distances your warehouse staff must cover. This can be done by storing the most popular products as close as possible to the packing tables. For this, you may need to move products to different locations. When your stock management system uses warehouse locations, this is a breeze.
Place an Order with the Supplier
After checking the stock and analyzing the data, you’ll have the correct stock quantities, while the data analysis will give you insight into the popular products. Now, you need to compare both sets of data and see which products are at risk of running low. Then, you can place an order with your supplier to ensure you’re prepared for the end-of-year period.
Always keep the delivery time in mind. Some suppliers deliver within a few days, while others may take up to five weeks. In case of urgent need, you can always place an express order and use expedited shipping options. Although these shipping methods are more expensive than standard options, they are necessary to avoid stockouts. A stockout leads to dissatisfied customers, while a higher shipping cost only affects your margin. Your customers will not be bothered by this extra cost, and as a result, you’ll create repeat customers.
A Fulfillment Center Manages Your Peak Moments
Peak moments can cause an extreme increase in orders, to the point where it’s nearly impossible for warehouse staff to keep up. As a business, you need to find a solution. Fulfillment is the solution! Why? A fulfillment center manages your stock and ensures orders are processed. You can rely on a fulfillment center during peak moments and handle logistics during quieter times. Do you want to use a fulfillment center to survive a peak moment? Contact Webship at hallo@webship.be.
