3 common mistakes during the holiday rush and how to avoid them

When the holiday rush hits, the pattern often repeats itself: order volumes rise sharply, customer expectations go up, and even small bottlenecks in your logistics are suddenly magnified.

For e-commerce businesses and larger retail organizations with complex logistics needs, the months around Christmas are a test of systems, processes, and collaboration across the warehouse, customer service, and marketing. And every year, we see the same three mistakes, which can be costly for both your bottom line and your brand experience if they’re not handled strategically.

Here you’ll get our experience and concrete advice on how to avoid this year’s classic holiday traps.

1. Underestimating holiday traffic

The holiday rush doesn’t just drive up orders, it tests your entire logistics setup: every process from pick and pack to transport and delivery.

When order volumes rise sharply over a few days, it’s often the warehouse and the shipping flow that feel the pressure first. Even so, many businesses still plan based on last year’s average figures instead of the peak weeks and months.

This can lead to delays, overloaded workflows, and in the worst case, dissatisfied customers who don’t get their Christmas presents in time.

Use data, not gut feeling

With Shipmondo Analytics, you can review accurate figures from last year’s peak season:

• Which days did order volumes peak?
• When did the shipments hit the warehouse?
• Which carriers were under the most pressure?

You can use these insights to scale staffing, optimize pickup times, and plan which delivery options to highlight at checkout this year.

Read more about how your own logistics data can be used strategically to optimize operations, sales, and delivery.

Digitize pick and pack

Under pressure, the risk of errors rises, especially when pick and pack is done on paper.

With Order Management and Pick and pack, you can pick with digital pick paths and save up to 50% of the time per order compared with picking without route optimization. At the same time, scanning and order checks can reduce picking errors in the warehouse.

KiMs, for example, reduced their picking errors from 4% to close to 0% after moving from manual pick lists to digital pick paths with scanners and automatic order checks.

Make customer service data-driven

When customers ask, “Where is my parcel?”, it’s essential that your support team has the answer ready.

With access to tracking, order status, and analytics, among other things, directly in Shipmondo, customer service can give quick, accurate answers without bottlenecks and keep customers loyal during busy periods.

It also takes some of the pressure off the warehouse staff, who can focus on their own tasks.

2. Unclear, expensive, or too few shipping options

Checkout is a crucial moment in the buying journey. This is where shipping options and delivery times decide whether customers complete their purchase or abandon their cart.

Even so, every year we see webshops lose orders because their delivery terms aren’t clear. Either there are too few options, they’re too expensive, or they’re too hard to understand.

Turn shipping into a competitive advantage

With Delivery Checkout, you can gather all your delivery options in one solution.

This means customers can choose exactly the delivery method they prefer. That might be a parcel locker, home delivery, or pickup, and you can adjust shipping rates, delivery times, and carriers based on your strategic goals.

A flexible shipping setup can increase both customer satisfaction and your conversion rate.

Optimize your shipping rates

Free shipping doesn’t have to mean lost revenue. Even though shipping rates have been rising over the last few years, you can cover the lost margin on shipping by offering free shipping when your customers spend a certain amount, for example.

With Shipmondo Analytics, you can see which countries and carriers carry your shipments. Use the figures when you assess where it makes sense to offer free or cheaper shipping to stand stronger against your competitors. Once you start adjusting your shipping rates strategically, it can be a real advantage for you.

That could be a time-limited campaign, for example: “Free shipping on orders over €70 in weeks 49-50”, based on your historical order data.

3. Lack of communication during delivery

Even the best logistics loses its value if customers don’t know where their parcel is. And when communication stops after checkout, support volume and frustration can rise accordingly.

In a busy December, a lack of communication can quickly become costly in time, resources, and customer loyalty.

Make your delivery transparent

With Personalized Message, you can automatically inform customers when their order is shipped, on its way, or ready for pickup, for example.

The messages are sent by text message or email and can be branded with your logo, tone of voice, and tracking links. This can give customers peace of mind and ease the load on your customer service.

You decide which events trigger a message and what the message should say.

Keep an eye on shipments

You can continuously follow how your shipments move on their journey from your warehouse to the carrier and on to your customers.

You can include a tracking link in your communication with customers, so they can always stay updated on where their parcels are. That way, you can reduce customer inquiries, and your support team can take care of more urgent matters.

Ready for the holiday rush?

With the right tools, the holiday rush can become an opportunity to strengthen customer loyalty and efficiency across your entire logistics operation.

Shipmondo brings everything together, from shipping and pick paths to analytics and communication, so you can focus on what creates value:

Faster shipments, fewer errors, and happier customers. Even under peak-season pressure.