Relaxed and efficient – this is how Christmas business in eCommerce with DHL works

As the year draws to a close, the months with the highest turnover in online business are upon us. Around 15 percent of annual sales are generated in the year-end business. Those who sell books or toys usually make as much as a quarter of their turnover in November and December. It’s not just the upcoming Christmas period that causes sales figures to rise. Special discount days, such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday, also ensure very steep increases in sales within a few days.

“Save energy and increase efficiency!” is therefore the motto for many online retailers right now. In order to master this stressful time and make it as lucrative as possible, we have put together 10 tips for successful Christmas business.

10 tips for a successful Christmas business:

1. allow fair exchange periods

A major stress factor in the Christmas business is the high rush within a few weeks. Give your customers an incentive to place their orders early. With special goodwill, e.g. the option to exchange until January, you can win over early buyers.

2. communicate delivery times transparently and prominently

Adjust your delivery times for the Christmas period. Factors such as stock levels, the effort involved in getting orders ready for shipping (gift wrapping), increased order volumes and when and how often your logistics provider picks up shipments should be taken into account. Precisely communicated delivery times and last minute ordering options for Christmas gifts increase customer satisfaction.

3. communicate shipment status

The ability to track shipment status is expected by customers all year round. When ordering gifts that have to arrive at a certain time, this service becomes even more relevant. That’s why you could communicate shipment tracking prominently on your website or link to dhl.de. With JTL-Track&Trace, you can always keep an eye on the status of your shipments within your ERP.

4. use the inexpensive and fast shipping option Warenpost

If you sell small and lightweight products, you should definitely use Warenpost for your Christmas business. It perfectly combines the advantages of letters and parcels at an affordable price. Due to the item format, it is also possible to drop Warenpost in the letterbox. You can find all the advantages of Warenpost here:

5. offer alternative delivery locations

With the listing of alternative delivery locations, such as dropping off at a neighbor’s house, at the chosen drop-off location, at the Packstation or at the nearest branch, you can give your customers the assurance that their shipment will arrive on time. The “Packstation” option is particularly attractive, as parcels can be collected here around the clock, 7 days a week.

6. determination of the delivery day for the delivery offer

Bidder the choice of a delivery day for receiving parcels. Especially in the hectic pre-Christmas period, your customers will be grateful if they know that they can choose a day to receive their parcel when they are at home anyway.

7. avoid returns due to undeliverability

Due to incorrect addresses or inadequate information at the front door, eagerly awaited gifts sometimes unfortunately make their way back to your warehouse. This is annoying for your customers and for you. You can save yourself the extra work involved by using DHL’s store routing service. With this service, undeliverable shipments – both parcels and merchandise mail – can be collected from the store on the next working day.

8. provide customer-friendly returns options

Transparent and customer-friendly returns options are particularly important for end-of-year shopping. If you’re unsure whether grandma, grandpa or your best friend will like the gift, it’s easier to make a decision if returns are easy and possibly even free of charge.

9. use and communicate climate-friendly shipping

Climate protection is of course important all year round. But when shipping volumes are particularly high, saving_CO2 is even more important than usual. Basically, as the most climate-friendly parcel and mail service provider in the industry, DHL offers you the lowest possible_{CO2 footprint} in national goods shipping. DHL also offers most recipient services to avoid additional routes due to multiple delivery attempts.

You have had the option of booking the GoGreen service since 2011. If you choose GoGreen for a small surcharge, you offset_CO2 for national and international parcels and merchandise mail through certified offsetting projects in accordance with the gold standard.

With GoGreenPlus you go one step further: GoGreen Plus aims to avoid_CO2 instead of offsetting it afterwards. By making additional investments in the German logistics network of Deutsche Post and DHL, e.g. in the area of electromobility, you make your contribution to avoiding emissions.

You can read more about sustainability in shipping in our blog post.

10. optimize communication

Time is at a premium during the Christmas shopping season. It is therefore worth placing all services that are particularly important for your customers during Christmas shopping prominently on the page. It is also a good idea to add typical Christmas shopping questions to the FAQs. Delivery times, returns and returns options are included here. Questions such as: “By when do I have to order so that my gift arrives on time?” or: “Can I still make an exchange after Christmas?” don’t have to be answered a hundred times in person.

Ideally prepared

If you want a strong partner at your side at the end of the year, you can rely on the Stiftung Warentest test winner: DHL has an extra strong fleet of vehicles and additional staff to ensure that all shipments reach your customers on time for Christmas.

We wish you a stress-free Christmas and a successful end-of-year spurt!