News

Viare business development manager William Laycock discusses how to improve operations after Black Friday/Cyber Monday, Christmas and Boxing Day sales.

Now that Black Friday, Cyber Monday (BFCM), and the peak sales season are over, you might be asking, "What comes next?" Did you experience stress and frustration during peak trading? Are there areas you could improve for next year? While the holiday rush offers great opportunities, it also brings challenges. Order delays, returns, and inventory mistakes can hurt your customer satisfaction and business performance.

This is the perfect time to reflect on what went wrong, identify areas for improvement, and explore how an order management system (OMS) can help streamline your operations for the future.

The Challenges of Peak Season

During high-demand sales events like BFCM, businesses face a surge of orders. This can lead to several problems:

• Inventory issues: Mismanaged stock can cause overselling or stockouts.
• Delayed shipping: High order volume can result in late deliveries.
• Returns: After sales events, customers often return items in large numbers.

Now that the chaos has passed, it’s time to analyse what went well and what didn’t. A key tool to improving operations is an efficient OMS, which can reduce stress and ensure smoother fulfillment next time.

How an Order Management System (OMS) Helps

An OMS helps retailers manage orders, inventory, and workflows more efficiently. By using an OMS, you can reduce errors, speed up fulfillment, and improve customer satisfaction after peak sales events. Here's how an OMS can support your post-peak operations:

1. Centralised Order Processing

An OMS centralises orders from all sales channels, whether online, in-store, or through third-party platforms. This makes it easier to track orders and manage customer expectations. After BFCM, an OMS can help you clear any backlogged orders faster and more accurately, reducing the chances of errors or missed orders

2. Real-Time Inventory Updates

Maintaining accurate inventory levels across multiple platforms is difficult during peak season. An OMS gives you real-time visibility of stock levels, helping you avoid overselling and stockouts. With accurate data, you can fulfill orders more reliably and ensure that you don't make the same mistakes next time.

3. Optimised Fulfillment and Shipping

After the rush, fulfillment becomes crucial. An OMS can automate order prioritization, making sure high-priority orders are shipped first. If an item is out of stock at one location, the OMS can automatically re-route the order to another location, reducing delays and improving customer satisfaction. It also helps manage returns more efficiently, a common post-peak headache.

4. Streamlined Returns Process

Returns are inevitable after sales events like BFCM and Boxing Day. An OMS can automate the returns process, making it easier for customers to send items back. It also ensures that returned items are processed quickly, allowing you to restock inventory and refund customers faster. A smooth returns process can help maintain customer trust, even after a busy season.

5. Better Customer Communication

Keeping customers informed is key to post-sale satisfaction. An OMS automates notifications for order confirmations, shipping updates, and tracking information. When customers know when to expect their order and receive updates on any delays, their overall experience improves. Transparent communication reduces stress and builds loyalty.

Long-Term Benefits of Optimising Post-Peak Operations

Improving your post-peak operations isn’t just about handling the immediate aftermath of BFCM and Boxing Day sales. An OMS can provide long-term benefits:

• Better efficiency: Automation reduces manual work and errors, making your team more productive.
• Customer loyalty: Fast, accurate order fulfillment and hassle-free returns keep customers coming back.
• Actionable insights: An OMS gathers data that can be used to improve inventory management and future sales strategies.

As you wrap up your post-peak season, now is the time to reflect on your operations and identify areas for improvement. If you faced challenges with inventory, returns, or fulfillment, it may be time to implement or optimise your order management system. An efficient OMS helps you streamline operations, improve accuracy, and enhance customer satisfaction — not just during peak sales but year-round.

By proactively investing in the right technology and refining your processes, you can turn the lessons learned from BFCM and Boxing Day into long-term success before next peak season.