Black Friday: ACSEP, your best ally in turning this rush into a logistics success!

Black Friday represents a colossal challenge for the logistics sector, surpassing even the Christmas period in terms of intensity and volume for some retailers. During this period, orders can increase by more than 300%, and warehouses are often forced to manage millions of items in just a few days. In 2022, for example, global Black Friday sales exceeded $800 billion, while French e-retailers recorded an increase of over 40% on their usual weekly sales. Faced with this boom, the ability of warehouses to meet the expectations of demanding customers is being sorely tested. Between managing stocks, preparing orders and optimising dispatches and deliveries, meticulous organisation is crucial and must be prepared well in advance!

Strategy and preparation: the winning assets for a successful Black Friday!

The key to a perfect Black Friday is rigorous planning, started well in advance of the season. Given the exceptional volumes concentrated in just a few days, there are two priorities: adjust your operational strategies and train your teams. Beforehand, you need experts in supply chain and information systems to provide you with the knowledge and experience you need to absorb this incredible rush of activity, but you also need to develop the competence and flexibility of your teams to ensure that every link in the chain masters the tools and best practices adapted to the demands of Black Friday. What’s more, if you have intuitive, user-friendly WMS like IzyPro or Reflex, your temporary personnel will be up and running in no time.

Data analysis plays an essential role in this preparation phase. By exploiting historical data, it is possible to precisely anticipate order volumes and detect trends specific to each product or customer. These data-driven predictions can help to adjust stock levels and optimise supplies, reducing the risk of stock-outs or bottlenecks in warehouse capacity. The data can also be used to configure the WMS to guarantee maximum flexibility during peaks in demand.

This proactive approach helps to structure an organisation that is both robust and agile, with every member of staff ready to absorb the intensity of Black Friday to ensure optimum customer satisfaction.

The Black Friday race against time 

During Black Friday, stock management becomes crucial. Your warehouse has to juggle exceptional quantities of products at unprecedented levels, while trying to avoid shortages and overstocking. A warehouse management system like our IzyPro WMS becomes indispensable, as it gives you real-time visibility of stocks, making it easier to restock and track each item. With this type of high-performance WMS, you can reduce preparation times, minimise human error and guarantee continuous availability of your products. What’s more, with customers expecting fast deliveries despite the massive influx of orders, the WMS can speed up order preparation while guaranteeing order exactness.

Logistics platforms can also automatically organise preparation, packaging and sorting tasks, optimising processing flows. By limiting manual intervention, these automation and mechanisation solutions help companies to maintain competitive preparation and delivery times. A well-functioning organisation is essential to meet consumers’ growing expectations for speed and precision at this time of year.

24/7 Technical Support, the hidden strength for your logistics when every minute counts

One of the essential assets for meeting the challenges of Black Friday in optimum conditions is the maintenance of operational readiness (MCO) via a functional, technical and EDI support team available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Logistics activities must run without interruption to avoid slowdowns or breakdowns that could paralyse operations. Our experts, trained to intervene at every stage and resolve any bottlenecks, play a crucial role in providing real-time assistance and resolving any incidents within contractual (SLA). This support allows your teams to keep up a strong pace without any risk of flow interruptions, while guaranteeing the reliability of the supply chain. With solid technical support, you can cope with the unexpected and maintain optimum productivity even in the face of work overload.

After Black Friday, welcome to Cyber Monday & Christmas !

As soon as the Black Friday orders have been processed, the Cyber Monday and Christmas orders start to come in, adding another layer of logistics complexity during this period. The need for speed and precision continues unabated. Warehouse management teams and systems must remain at maximum capacity to ensure that online orders run smoothly. Teams must remain vigilant and responsive, and support must keep up the same level of availability. This seamless transition, facilitated by the WMS and an infallible support team, ensures a high-quality customer experience right through to the end of the season!

After Black Friday, welcome to Cyber Monday & Christmas!

As soon as the Black Friday orders have been processed, the Cyber Monday and Christmas orders start to come in, adding another layer of logistics complexity during this period. The need for speed and precision continues unabated. Warehouse management teams and systems must remain at maximum capacity to ensure that online orders run smoothly. Teams must remain vigilant and responsive, and support must keep up the same level of availability. This seamless transition, facilitated by the WMS and an infallible support team, ensures a high-quality customer experience right through to the end of the season!

ACSEP, your partner in mastering the logistics marathon at the end of the year!

The last few weeks of the year are a real logistics marathon for most companies. In this race to satisfy customers, ACSEP is at your side to ensure you get through this period with flying colours. Our logistics experts will work with you before, during and after this rush to make it a real success for your supply chain. These intense efforts will make it possible for your company to manage the exceptional order volumes during this period, while offering an impeccable service. Thanks to ACSEP, the Black Friday period will become a strategic opportunity for your company, giving you the chance to demonstrate your operational efficiency and boost your customers’ trust!