Black
Friday and Cyber Monday are not simply isolated days of the year. What we will
really be seeing is “Black Friday Week”, with the more savvy retailers
extending the discounts and various offers across the entire week to help
spread the burden on their operations.
“Every
year we are seeing higher volumes of sales during Black Friday and this year we
expect the volumes of sales to be significantly greater.
“It is
inevitable that suppliers will encounter problems as there is simply not enough
capacity in the UK distribution networks to handle the volume of orders. It
will pay to be as prepared as possible for the delays as well as the
possibility of customer complaints and inquiries
“Retailers
that have traded below expectations during the summer are “throwing” everything
at Black Friday Week in an attempt to get the sales back on track. This is a
good opportunity to do so but they need to make sure they are able to handle
the customer demand when it comes to the logistics. We recommend that retailers
create a strategic logistics operation and work with multiple carriers, rather
than expecting one carrier to handle the influx of orders. It is important to
set customer expectations correctly. Do not over promise on delivery timescales
and be realistic when it comes to estimated arrival times.
It is also recommended that retailers
offer consumers a drop-off-point delivery option, such as delivery to a local
shop or pick-up point. If retailers can be encouraging consumers to choose
these options it will drastically help to ease the pressures on the delivery
networks, as well as increasing the delivery options for consumers.”
by Stuart Rivett, Managing Director, B2C Europe
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