The most important date for online retail is just around the corner, and the question is: will the products your customers buy on Black Friday be delivered?
That's why we're going to talk about fulfillment, which encompasses all the stages of processing and delivering orders, from picking the product until it arrives at the customer's door.
During Black Friday, efficient management of fulfillment parameters is essential to guarantee consumer satisfaction and sales success. It is crucial that the agreed deadlines are met and that deliveries reach consumers' homes on time.
Don't improvise!
Black Friday needs to be planned in advance. This is the most important moment in the process. With a six-month view in advance of the date, it is possible to analyze, forecast and revise demand, examine the sales history of previous years and identify which products are most in demand by the public. This ensures that stock is adequate and that resources are planned to optimize fulfillment operations.
Sell what you can
Selling a product that is out of stock generates dissatisfaction and can damage the company's reputation. To avoid this problem, a good practice is to maintain strict stock control using management systems (ERP/WMS) that automatically update available quantities, aligning sales forecasts with suppliers' purchasing plans. This helps to ensure that stock is always in line with demand.
Another important point is the strategic location of products in the warehouse. This is essential for optimizing order picking time.
Automatic mode
Automation plays a crucial role in fulfillment during Black Friday. The use of advanced technologies, such as A, B, C stock curve management systems, strategically positioned and systematically stocked picking locations, as well as picking automation using various AI tools, can significantly reduce order processing times.
These automation tools help to optimize storage, separate orders more quickly and carry out shipments with greater precision. Automated systems allow operations to be monitored in real time, making it easier to track the status of each order and resolve problems more quickly and efficiently.
You have to deliver
In order for the entire fulfillment journey to run smoothly, it is essential to avoid problems when delivering products. At this point, it is essential to work with multiple transport partners, diversifying delivery options and minimizing the impact of possible delays, especially by offering same day and next day delivery options.
It's also important to have a team trained to deal with the fast pace of operations on the most important date of the year. And, of course, negotiate SLAs (Service Level Agreements) in advance to ensure that expectations are properly met.
Did you have to change it?
Problems with orders (or the famous discrepancies) can occur with online purchases, and during Black Friday this can be even more common due to the increase in sales. In this context, it is essential to have clear and easy-to-understand return and exchange policies, so that consumers can carry them out without difficulty.
Data and insights
The forecast of any company with online sales carries a lot of weight during Black Friday, and at this time, data is a great ally! At the start of planning, it's crucial to have access to accurate figures in order to prepare well. Throughout Friday (and the weekend), it's equally important that these insights are updated.
Business Intelligence (BI) is a key element for fulfillment on Black Friday. With it, metrics such as order processing time, return rate, level of customer satisfaction and delivery time must be monitored in real time. This makes it possible to identify bottlenecks in the operation and make adjustments quickly. In addition, BI helps with strategic decision-making, improves operational efficiency and guarantees the best possible customer experience.
Personalization: a competitive edge
In addition to good fulfillment practices, another important point that sets companies apart during Black Friday is personalization. This involves everything from creating a strategy to offer a customized shopping experience to the moment the product is delivered. Whether through differentiated packaging, personalized messages or products tailored to the consumer's preferences, a customized approach can be decisive on Black Friday, when the competition for the customer's attention is intense.
Combining strategies
Satisfaction, differentiation, loyalty and increased value - combining these elements in strategies during periods such as Black Friday ensures that customers are even more likely to buy outside of a specific date. These actions help build an emotional relationship with the consumer, generating a connection that goes beyond digital.
Personalization executed within full commerce is a powerful strategy for delighting customers during Black Friday and standing out from the competition.
A company's success on Black Friday goes far beyond offering good promotions and discounts. The management of these assets plays a crucial role in ensuring customer satisfaction and sales success. Investing in a full commerce operation, with an efficient fulfillment operator, not only brings immediate results during Black Friday, but also helps build a solid reputation, increasing customer loyalty and preparing the company for long-term growth.
