Atlanta, November 11, 2020 - As the U.S. economy cautiously phases into reopening and the holiday season kicks off, retailers are wondering how to navigate the unprecedented disruption and capacity challenges that are dramatically impacting the supply chain, especially on the west coast. To ensure its customers are receiving a customized approach that meets their specific needs, Dachser USA, a subsidiary of global logistics provider Dachser, has introduced a dedicated customer solutions desk, comprised of seasoned logistics solutions experts.
“This level of disruption is an industry-wide challenge and we anticipate the issues will continue to accelerate throughout the holiday season. Our dedicated customer solutions desk has been launched to minimize the effects of this disruption. The team is in constant contact with customers and is working tirelessly to develop solutions to tackle drayage capacity, transit delays, unloading issues and potential demurrage charges,” said Guido Gries, Managing Director, Dachser Americas.
For many retailers, the fear of supply chain capacity shortages and transit time delays has become a reality. With ocean freight capacity already booking up and landside operational challenges affecting supply chain fluidity, retailers need a fine-tuned yet agile approach to logistics planning to avoid delayed orders and missed deadlines.
"This is a make-or-break time for some of our customers. Capacity issues across the supply chain and last-mile challenges are creating implications that could seriously impact delivery dates. Now more than ever, our customers are looking to us to provide solutions that ensure timely, safe transport in a cost-effective manner. It is essential that cargo swiftly ships to market on time as retailers rely on this short window to generate enough revenue to keep their businesses running smoothly,” said Mr. Gries.
2020 Holiday Shopping Season:
Holiday shopping officially kicks off during the days immediately following Thanksgiving. The four-day stretch starting on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, to Small Business Saturday, the day after Black Friday, and Cyber Monday, the first Monday after the Thanksgiving weekend, represents the busiest shopping period of the year in the U.S. and the most important time for retailers to have inventory on hand to sell.
In fact, the National Retail Federation reported that more than 174 million Americans shopped through Cyber Monday in 2019. Both online and in-store sales figures rose as more consumers shopped via their smart devices. Also brick-and-mortar sales were up 4.2% in 2019 over the previous year, as reported by USA Today. Further, Cyber Monday 2019, has overtaken Black Friday as the busiest individual shopping day of the year; raking in a new record of more than $9 billion in sales, according to Forbes.
How will shopping for the holidays be different this year? Actually, while Black Friday represents the official start of the holiday shopping season, retailer promotions are starting earlier than ever before in an effort to mitigate the risk of last-minute crowds in the stores. To adhere to pandemic guidelines, retailers are adopting new approaches by offering curbside pick-ups, limiting the number of customers in stores, encouraging online shopping, as well as not opening doors on Thanksgiving day, and more.
With more competition than ever, meticulous commercial operations planning is imperative for accurate forecasting; it can be the overriding factor determining a retailer’s yearly sales projections. They must be able to deliver fast, impeccable omnichannel service and doing so requires a comprehensive logistics approach. When working with an expert global logistics provider, retailers are able to proactively optimize their supply chain by leveraging innovative and flexible logistics solutions in order to quickly respond to new market requirements and ever-changing customer demands.
Buoyed by the pandemic, U.S. online sales is growing and heading towards a heavily contactless transaction holiday season this year. Global online sales are expected to grow 30% year over year to $940 billion this holiday season, compared with 8% growth in 2019, according to Salesforce’s 2020 forecast.
Partnering with a trusted logistics leader, such as Dachser USA, drives smart reallocation of a retailer’s internal resources – maintaining focus on their business and customer service. It also offers last-mile delivery solutions that optimizes the last leg with greater transparency, responsiveness, and flexibility – effectively mitigating order delay risk throughout their logistics operations. Dachser USA’s global transport and warehouse network enables seamless logistics management in every corner of the world with one single point of contact – delivering a sustainable competitive advantage.
Small Business Saturday
Falling on November 30th this year, this event is marked by shopping at small, independently owned businesses, typically in support of local communities and neighborhoods. In fact, U.S. shoppers spent a record high total of an estimated $19.6 billion, according to the 2019 Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey from American Express and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB).
As the pandemic continues to disrupt global distribution, it has also highlighted the key role that logistics play for retailers, both large and small. Intelligent logistics planning through collaboration with Dachser USA, an expert global logistics provider, can ensure transport processes are streamlined, efficient and prompt while maintaining cost efficiencies. With its flexible and broad suite of logistics services and solutions, Dachser USA offers a proven portfolio of capabilities empowering its customers worldwide to improve their business and enhance overall end-customer satisfaction.
