Peak Season Playbook: How We Keep Your Fashion Orders Flowing In December
December moves fast. Carts fill, customers expect speed, and your team juggles promo calendars with limited warehouse hours. This playbook shows exactly how we keep your orders flowing through Christmas and Boxing Day, and how you can set up for smooth January sales. You will find clear steps for forecasting, prioritising fast movers, setting carrier cut offs, using real time visibility to avoid stockouts, and handling returns that spike after discounts. We act as an extension of your brand so the experience stays consistent from checkout to unboxing.
How we protect fulfilment speed and accuracy when volumes surge
Speed starts before the rush. We complete fast onboarding ahead of December so products are scanned, locations are confirmed, and Shopify is synced with our cloud based platform. From there, three things keep orders moving:
Slotting for speed. We place fast moving SKUs in the most accessible pick faces and group common bundles. This reduces travel time for pickers and keeps lines per order under control.
Guided pick and pack. Pickers work with barcode scanning and location checks. Items are verified at pick and double checked at pack. That delivers 99 percent order accuracy even when the volume lifts.
Same day dispatch on eligible orders. If an order meets the cut off and service rules, it leaves the same day. We staff to demand and flex storage so you do not pay for space you do not use.
Accuracy matters as much as speed. Every order is matched against live inventory, so what the customer bought is what we send. That protects your brand and reduces costly reships.
Carrier cut offs and workflows to plan around in Australia
Carrier performance is strong in December, but only if your workflows line up with their schedules. Here is how we plan it with you:
Daily cut offs. We set clear order and handover cut offs with each carrier. For example, metro road services may need freight manifested by mid afternoon, while premium express can accept later lodgements. Wepublish those times in your portal and confirm the customer facing promise on site banners and checkout.
Weekend and public holiday adjustments. Pickup windows shift around Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year. We build a calendar with you that shows when dispatch can occur, when pickups are closed,and how to message extended delivery ETAs.
Service selection by postcode. For remote and regional postcodes, we recommend express only from a certain date to keep gifts on time. The WMS can auto select services based on postcode rules.
Manifesting discipline. Batch printing, label verification, and scan to load at the dock reduce missorts. We also watch live carrier scans. If a route starts slipping, we can swap services the same day.
If you need a quick rule of thumb, set earlier cut offs for economy road in the week before Christmas, keep express open longer, and promote click to buy times clearly on product pages and in the cart.
Real time inventory that stops stockouts and oversells
Nothing hurts peak like selling what you do not have. Our cloud based platform acts as a single source of truth across your channels. You see:
Live on hand and available to sell by SKU, variant, and location.
Inbound purchase orders with expected dates and quantities.
Reserved units tied to open orders and pending returns.
This visibility helps you throttle promos, reorder with confidence, and move buffer stock where it is needed. For Shopify, the integration keeps inventory synchronised in near real time, which prevents oversells when aproduct goes viral. You can also set safety stock at the SKU level so you do not run the shelf to zero in the final days before Christmas.
Forecasting and buffer stock tips for fashion and lifestyle
Fashion has tricky seasonality and size curves. A few practical moves help:
Build a size curve forecast. Use last December’s sell through by size and colour to guide your open to buy. Confirm that curve against the last 60 days of velocity so you capture recent trends.
Ring fence hero SKUs. Create a buffer for top 10 percent sellers so a single spike does not empty the shelf. We can hold buffer stock in reserve and release it on a rule, for example when available drops below threedays of cover.
Split style drops. If you received a large delivery close to Christmas, inbound half first for speed to site, then complete detailed QA on the balance. That gets revenue flowing without sacrificing accuracy.
Pre pack gift bundles. For accessories and small lifestyle add ons, pre building bundles reduces touches and increases lines per hour.
Archive slow movers. Remove long tail SKUs from pick faces and store higher. That keeps aisles clear for fast picks.
Setting your cut off promise to customers
Your customer promise sets expectations and reduces WISMO tickets. We help you publish:
Last order dates for Christmas delivery by state and service.
Same day dispatch eligibility and daily order cut off times.
Boxing Day and New Year dispatch schedules.
Returns windows for sale items, exchanged sizes, and gifts.
Share these in a banner, PDP badge, and order confirmation. Align wording with carrier realities so you do not overpromise.
Same day dispatch that actually sticks
Same day dispatch is only useful if it is consistent. We make it stick with:
Clear order cut offs inside the WMS.
Auto prioritisation of paid express and VIP orders.
Dedicated pack stations for gift wrap and custom notes so presentation does not slow the line.
Contingency staff who step in when orders surge.
When order volume jumps, this structure avoids queues at manifesting and keeps the dock moving.
Returns readiness for higher post sale volumes
Fashion returns climb after Boxing Day. Set up now to reduce friction and restock faster:
Branded portal and clear policy. Explain time frames, condition rules, and whether you offer exchanges for size. Simpler rules reduce tickets and speed outcomes.
Pre approved reasons. Capture size, fit, or colour reasons at request. That data loops back into buying decisions and product pages.
Fast triage on arrival. We scan, assess, and return saleable items to stock quickly. Defect items are photographed and quarantined for your review. This keeps your catalogue accurate and reduces lost sales.
Hygiene and repack standards. For apparel and swim, set clear checks and repack materials so items meet your brand standard before resale.
Gift receipt workflows. Allow credit to the original payment method or store credit to the recipient if you support it. This turns returns into repeat purchases.
With a tight flow, you can convert a return into a new order within 24 to 48 hours.
What to plan around in the warehouse
A few operational tweaks add up:
Put your fastest movers at elbow height, closest to the pack benches.
Label locations clearly, and avoid moving SKUs mid peak unless there is a strong reason.
Use cycle counts daily on top sellers to catch discrepancies early.
Stage packaging in zones, including sustainable options that match your brand presentation.
Keep a hot cart for emergency rework so the main line does not stop.
These steps support speed without sacrificing control.
Your action checklist for December
Confirm forecasts and set SKU level safety stock.
Finalise carrier cut offs and publish customer promises.
Slot fast movers and build bundles.
Enable same day rules and staffing plans.
Launch a clear, simple returns process with fast triage.
If you want help with any item, we can walk you through our approach and mirror it to your brand.
Let’s build your peak plan for January and beyond
We specialise in fashion and lifestyle brands that need reliable speed without losing brand presentation. Our scalable warehousing, rapid onboarding, same day dispatch on eligible orders, and cloud based visibility giveyou control when the stakes are highest. If you are reviewing your operations for January sales and the new season, talk to us about tailored fulfilment that grows with you. Get a free quote and see how we approachfulfilment here: fulfilment.
Summary: December rewards preparation. Prioritise fast moving SKUs, align cut offs with carrier realities, use real time inventory to avoid stockouts, and be ready for returns. With the right plan and a partner who acts as an extension of your brand, you can keep promises, protect margins, and delight customers through Christmas, Boxing Day, and beyond. Reach out to our team to map your plan and keep your orders flowing.
