COVID-19 Market Shift Signals an Unprecedented Holiday Season - Seite 2

Unprecedented Holiday Demand in 2020

Merchants are now planning for an unprecedented peak season. Warehouses and fulfillment centers are already operating at peak levels, but 74% of merchants still expect to see an additional spike in sales for the holiday season. The Ware2Go survey also found that:

• 56% believe peak will be at or above 2019 levels
• 44% believe peak will be lower than 2019

Most merchants are familiar with the demands of seasonal spikes in demand, with 80% reporting some level of seasonality in their business, which inevitably results in its own supply chain challenges:

• 48% of merchants report running out of stock during their peak season
• 45.6% report delayed fulfillment and shipping speeds

Merchants are also well aware that holiday expectations for fast delivery are even greater, with 77% of merchants planning to offer 2-day shipping guarantees around the holidays, compared with 41% that offer 2-day shipping year-round.

The strategy most merchants seem to be taking to stay ahead of the holiday rush is to start sales early, with 50% of merchants beginning holiday promotions in September or October. But with so many unknowns surrounding this year’s peak season, merchants must be prepared for a range of possible outcomes. Ware2Go CEO Steve Denton believes that supply chain flexibility will win the day in this unpredictable market.

“The current situation requires merchants to prepare for a holiday season where historical trends are not as relevant, while maintaining the flexibility to adapt to today's new economy,” commented Denton. “Today's market conditions require merchants to leverage a flexible supply chain as a strategic asset for commerce.”

About the Survey

The survey was conducted in August 2020 by Propeller Insights on behalf of Ware2Go. It polled some 250 merchants operating both online and brick-and-mortar businesses, with revenues ranging from $2 million to $200 million.

About Ware2Go

Ware2Go, a UPS Company, operates a turnkey nationwide fulfillment network designed to help merchants easily position products closer to end customers for a fast, inexpensive and reliable order-to-delivery experience. Ware2Go offers an integrated solution for storage, pick, pack, and shipping services to businesses of all sizes through an intuitive cloud-based technology platform that makes it easy to extend your distribution footprint and scale up and down as your operational needs change. Ware2Go simplifies nationwide fulfillment to help you meet your customers’ needs and expectations. For more information, visit http://www.ware2go.co/.

For more information about this press release, please contact Gabrielle Jasinski at [e-mail].

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200924005051/en/