Exclusive comment on Black Friday operations from Sian Hopwood, SVP B2B Operations at BluJay Solutions:
“The immense volume of deliveries passing through the logistics network over this period creates an extreme peak season for all supply chain stakeholders. Faced with stratospheric customer expectations, businesses could struggle with the demand for superfast delivery or even fail to deliver at all.
“Supply chains can survive Black Friday; moreover, they could benefit from it. With such a challenge on their hands, delivery businesses must harness opportunities for collaboration and streamlined workflow. End-to-end supply chain visibility allows tracking systems to update businesses and customers alike, while data-driven collaboration between logistics partners around the world can ensure that goods can be moved efficiently and reliably through the supply chain.
“Customers gain trust in businesses that can handle even the busiest of shopping days. Indeed, supply chain professionals now see customer experience as their key focus driving innovation. Recent research from BluJay Solutions found that 61% of supply chain and logistics professionals believe that customer experience will overtake cost as the top supply-chain differentiator over the next five years*. The importance of delivery in customer experience matters more than ever.
“Black Friday needn’t strike terror into the hearts of retailers. In fact, with smooth logistics, Black Friday presents an opportunity to boost not only profits, but also customer satisfaction. In the age of online reviews, one bad day could damage the reputation of a business for years to come, despite an overall good track record. Implementing end-to-end visibility of the last mile can prevent companies falling apart during peak and keep them miles ahead of the game.”
To read more about top tips for preparing your warehouse ahead of Black Friday, see here.
