Essential Holiday Shipping Tips to Ensure Timely Deliveries

You’re not alone—ask any direct-to-consumer business owner, and they’ll tell you that while the holiday season brings a welcome boost in sales, it’s also the most stressful time of the year. 

With a surge in orders and tighter deadlines, making sure everything goes according to plan is more crucial than ever. Unfortunately, this is also when things are most likely to go wrong. 

Interruptions like holiday shipping delays can quickly spiral into complete disarray, with late shipments and frustrated customers. And if that’s not enough, factors like unpredictable weather and supply chain disruptions add even more complexity. 

The key to avoiding chaos? Planning and preparing early. Here are some essential holiday shipping tips to help you keep your shipping operations running smoothly and ensure your customers receive their packages on time. 

1. Stock Up On Supplies 

The last thing you want is to run out of shipping supplies in the middle of the holiday rush. One, it will seriously interrupt your shipping workflow, and two, restocking will take much longer than usual—if at all possible. 

Take stock of your existing inventory of boxes, packing materials, tape, labels, and other essentials. Then, order plenty of extra supplies and buy your shipping boxes early to avoid last-minute scrambles. 

Having supplies readily available allows your team to move faster as they can pack and ship orders as they come in. This holiday shipping tip can be applied all year round too, as it’s always better to have a little extra on hand than to run out when you need it most. 

2. Streamline Your Packaging Processes 

The faster you pack orders, the sooner they can be shipped out, which is especially important during the busy holiday season. Take a close look at your current packaging process to spot areas for improvement. 

Now is the time to address any weak spots, as they are often the first to cause disruptions. Additionally, standardized packing procedures should be implemented to fix these issues and use the most efficient methods. And, if any of these processes are new, make sure your team is trained and well-practiced before crunch time. 

Consider investing in pre-packaged or pre-labeled boxes to speed up your fulfillment process. You could also pre-pack certain items or bundle products that are frequently purchased together. 

Shortening the shipping process by even a few minutes per order might seem like a minor holiday shipping tip, but think about how much time you could save in the long run, especially if you’re shipping hundreds of packages. 

3. Automate Your Shipping Workflow

Repetitive tasks take up valuable time that could be better spent on other important areas of the order fulfillment process or customer service. So if you can get anything automated, you should. This is where shipping software, smart packaging, and automation tools like label printers or auto-sealing machines come in. 

For example, you can automate the printing of shipping labels and generating tracking numbers automatically, connect your e-commerce platform to your shipping carrier’s system to streamline order processing, and send automated shipping notifications to keep customers updated on their order status. 

Automation is also a key way to reduce the risk of human error, which is one of the biggest causes of holiday shipping delays. This brings up our next holiday shipping tip…

4. Use Proper Packaging 

Damaged goods are a major source of customer dissatisfaction and returns, especially during the holiday season when gifts are involved. 

To reduce shipping delays and rejected packages, make sure your packaging is ISTA 6-FEDEX-A TEST certified. This certification follows the International Safe Transit Association’s (ISTA) stringent testing procedures, ensuring your packaging is approved for safe shipping. 

Inside the boxes, use protective packaging inserts and void fill like bubble wrap or packing peanuts, and make sure closures are secure. Custom-sized boxes can also help minimize movement during transit. 

This is one of the most important holiday shipping tips because a well-packaged item is more likely to arrive in perfect condition, meaning fewer headaches for you. 

5. Offer Multiple Shipping Options 

Offering a variety of shipping options, like standard, expedited, and overnight, gives customers the flexibility to choose the service that fits their needs and budget. This flexibility reduces cart abandonment rates, which in turn increases sales.

More importantly, this holiday shipping tip increases efficiency in several ways. For one, it allows you to allocate resources effectively, ensuring that expedited orders are processed and shipped first, while standard orders are handled with a more relaxed timeline. 

Additionally, giving customers the option to choose expedited shipping spreads out demand across different services and avoids overwhelming one delivery method, which can lead to holiday shipping delays. 

It also lets you strategically schedule shipments to optimize carrier pick-ups and deliveries, which improves overall shipping speed and reduces shipping costs. 

6. Check Your Carriers’ Shipping Deadlines

Be especially mindful of this holiday shipping tip if you offer multiple shipping options, because carriers often have specific shipping deadlines to guarantee delivery by Christmas. These deadlines vary depending on the carrier, destination, and shipping service selected. 

To avoid delays, familiarize yourself with these deadlines well in advance. For example, in 2024, FedEx’s deadlines for ground shipping within the contiguous U.S. were around December 17th, while deadlines for expedited shipping were closer to December 23rd. 

It’s usually the same case for most major carriers, so plan ahead and adhere to these deadlines to ensure your customers receive their orders on time. 

7. Prepare for Potential Delays 

Despite your best efforts, unforeseen circumstances like severe weather, carrier delays, or unexpected order volume spikes can still cause holiday shipping delays. Always have a contingency plan in place to address these situations. 

One key holiday shipping tip is to partner with multiple carriers. This allows you to offer alternative shipping options in case of unexpected issues and minimizes the impact of delays. 

Equally important is to always keep your customers informed. Clear and timely communication about potential delays manages their expectations and builds trust in your company during hectic times. 

8. Encourage Customers to Shop Early 

As they say, prevention is better than cure. The simplest way to avoid delays and other shipping crises is to get ahead of them entirely. 

Incentivize your customers to shop early with special promotions or discounts for orders placed before a certain date. This spreads out the order volume and reduces the strain on your fulfillment and shipping processes. 

While you’re at it, highlight the benefits of early shopping in your marketing materials, emphasizing the peace of mind that comes with knowing gifts will arrive on time. 

Seal the Deal with Gorilla Shippers 

Follow these holiday shipping tips, and you’ll be well-prepared to handle the seasonal rush and keep your customers happy with timely deliveries. 

When it comes to securing your products for shipment, Gorilla Shipper has you covered. We offer test-approved and environmentally-friendly packaging solutions for a diverse range of products, including wine, beer, candles, olive oil, and more. All our shipping boxes are ISTA-certified and recommended by major carriers like FedEx and UPS.
Buy shipping boxes today and enjoy big savings when you order in bulk!