When holiday orders are in full speed, getting the performance you need from your distribution and fulfillment operations can be a real nailbiter. Getting this part right is vital to any growing business that relies heavily on holiday sales. To mitigate the risks, you need to start thinking about how you will address challenges before they arise. In the fulfillment world, they can include:

1. Unexpected spikes in orders
2. Unfamiliar service providers
3. Unreliable sources of labor
4. Supply chain disruptions
5. eCommerce glitches and other tech issues

Once your products are ready to ship out, a whole new set of challenges is just beginning. Take it from HYPTE Branded Solutions, which has developed holiday marketing campaigns for a diversity of high-profile businesses, including prominent sports teams. Our dependable Warehouse Fulfillment & Logistics team is just one of many services our clients have come to rely on this time of year.

Tip 1: Vet Your Vendors to Guarantee a Dependable, Organized Fulfillment Process

Our years producing and delivering high-quality branded products and experiences have taught us that the best of intentions are nothing without an organized fulfillment system at the end of the tunnel. Even under tight deadlines, we start by ensuring that products are high quality and align with the client’s most important goals.

Since we handle solutions from concept to delivery, that gives us more control over the product fulfillment stage of a project. Knowing who you’re working with prevents the kind of unhappy surprises that stem from a disorganized warehouse, something that matters even more this time of year regardless of your type of business. Due to our years of experience developing relationships with trusted partners, we are able to produce a lineup of experts to complete and deliver creative campaigns from scratch in time for the holidays.

Tip 2: Have a Branded Merchandise Service Do the Heavy Lifting for You

The next thing you will want to clarify is what your role will be at the fulfillment stage of the game. Can your needs be met in a single format, or will you need to be in contact with your service provider every day to provide direction to them so things stay on track? Using a full-service branded merchandise solution is a perfect example of how to make this process as easy as possible. It’s one thing if you’re hand crafting goods and sending them out the door one by one. But in most cases, a contractor like HYPTE Branded Solutions will be essential in taking things out of your hands early on.

Tip 3: Factor in How Your Marketing and Promos Will Impact Sales

It’s not enough simply to base forecasts on last year’s sales figures. How do you expect upcoming ads, seasonal events and other marketing tactics to impact business? Crunching these figures to the best of your abilities will make it that much easier to line up sufficient shipping and fulfillment services in the coming weeks.

If you haven’t implemented a holiday season marketing campaign yet, it’s not too late to start. Reach out to HYPTE Branding Services for a partner that includes warehouse logistics and fulfillment as one of its primary holiday services, along with social media ad campaigns, holiday events, and other creative solutions.

Tip 4: Use Fulfillment Provider with Channels That Deliver Where and When You Need It

Assumptions are just that, and they cause us to miss opportunities to empower ourselves. Businesses that rely on third-party fulfillment providers to manage inventory and ship products need to be sure there are flexible options to get their products to the parts of the country and world they need, on their timeline. Check to see if your provider is set up to handle orders from multiple channels – such as FedEx, USPS (first class or priority mail), and so on – and be sure those channels can meet desirable shipping standards you choose.

Tip 5: Use HYPTE Branded Solutions for End-to-End Holiday Season Fulfillment

Do you want the seamless fulfillment of orders throughout the holiday season without any last-minute chaos? Reach out to the team at HYPTE for end-to-end branded solutions that include digital marketing, reliable warehouse management, creative consulting and more.

Contact HYPTE Branded Solutions online, or call us at 708-343-9730 to discuss your branding needs for the holiday season.