Sales is in the air!

I cannot help but admire the power of advertising. With all those inception of the idea of 'love is in the air', Valentine's Day becomes 'sales is in the air'. Great news - another delightful day for retailers. According to Econsultancy, the online sales in the UK have been rising year over year in the run up to Valentine's Day. 




As expected the top valentine's gifts have to be flowers, jewellery, lingerie, and chocolate. In UK, the sales of lingerie has seen a 27% year on year increase in the run up to Valentine's Day 2012 (kinky!). Moreover, the average Valentine's spend per person in the UK reaches a whopping £121 (source: Econsultancy). As a retailer, how can you miss out such valuable opportunity? 

So, have you prepared yourself well? There are a few points to pay attention to during peak sales period:

1. Space - this includes storage space, and space for picking, packing, and doing all those little things. 
2. Flexibility - open space is the key, since it allows customisation. Everything can be laid out properly and openly so no time would be wasted on searching for items. 
3. Staff - A strong team is essential, especially during peak times since one man's fault can be magnified when passing down the chains. When the first man delays the process, the next man will have to wait (having nothing to do), which means wasting more money. You may need extra staffs as well - training temps takes time but it can ensure they do their job effectively. 

Many retailers have outsourced warehouse and the fulfilment process at peak times. Firstly this provides them with the space they need temporarily. Secondly well trained staffs are available to ensure a smooth and efficient fulfilment process at all time. This way they can save time, money and effort, and simply concentrate at the actual business aspect. Of course, choosing a quality fulfilment company is essential so make sure you do your research!