Why early prep wins: getting ahead of eCommerce peak season

As the eCommerce landscape becomes more competitive, early planning for peak season is no longer a nice-to-have – it’s non-negotiable. We share data on when search activity starts to climb, the latest delivery trends and outline everything you need to have in place before shoppers start adding to cart. 

Get ahead of the rush: why early planning is critical for peak 

With eCommerce peak season on the horizon, there’s no time like now to get planning for the retail rush. As delivery volumes surge and customer expectations grow, sellers that perform best during this busy time are the ones that plan ahead. 

Considering every element of the shopper experience, from optimising your storefront to providing a seamless delivery, will help you convert casual shoppers into loyal buyers and ensure your business has a winning peak season. 

Delivery volumes are climbing - fast

Peak 2024 smashed delivery records again, with 7.6 million Aussie households shopping online during November and December, up 2.4% year-on-year.1 

Australia Post delivered 103 million parcels last peak season - 2,400 parcels a minute - with more than three million delivered on the busiest day alone. That’s a lot of happy customers! 

Retailers agree the major sale events are becoming more and more important for their bottom line. For makeup brush cleaning brand Saint Jack, Black Friday is by far the biggest.

“During Black Friday last year, we saw a sales increase of more than 620%,” founder Beth Wilson says. “Our Black Friday promotion contributed to 20% of our annual sales, and it ran for 12 days.”

It’s numbers like these that underscore the need for operational readiness well before the first sale hits your site.

When do shoppers start searching for deals?

While the delivery peaks might be happening in December, Aussie shoppers start planning their wish lists sooner than that. 

Black Friday falls on the last Friday in November (in 2025, Black Friday will be on Friday, 28 November) – but data from TikTok reveals Black Friday searches start to climb from early November,2 as consumers research products, seek out reviews or recommendations and hunt online for any early deals. 

Doggie Balm, which sells natural skincare and grooming products for dogs, agrees. 

“Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the lead up to Christmas are our biggest sale events of the year,” says Founder, Maria Phillipou. 

“We see a 30-40% uplift in website traffic up to 3 weeks before Black Friday. Newsletter signup also spikes, with customers looking for special promotions and last-minute bonuses.”

With shoppers primed to make the most of these annual sale events, it’s important your business is ready long before the orders start pouring in. 

How can your business prepare for peak? 

So, what does early preparation for peak mean, really? It all comes down to reviewing and optimising every step in your customer’s journey from discovery to delivery (well ahead of time), meaning you’ll want to factor in your: 

• Online store – optimising site speed and mobile responsiveness, ensuring product pages are up-to-date and refreshing shipping information pages to ensure shoppers can find all the important delivery, tracking and returns info they need.
• Database – update and segment your customer database by removing inactive contacts and grouping active ones by behaviour or purchase history to improve targeting. 
• Sales strategy - lock in your promotional calendars early and align messaging across all owned and paid channels. With your database up to date, you’ll be able to offer personalised offers that give you a higher chance of conversion. 
• Operations – forecast demand using last year’s peak season data, streamline fulfilment (integrations can help here) and ensure adequate space, staffing and supplies of satchels or shipping boxes to see you through the surge. Importantly, embed best practice parcel prep to help your orders move efficiently through our network. 
• Delivery experience – 78% of shoppers say the delivery experience affects their online shopping satisfaction,3 meaning anything you can do to improve the experience will lead to happier customers. This is where you can focus on choice, flexibility and transparency. So, offer a choice of speeds (regular, express or next day) at checkout, delivery to alternate locations such as Parcel Lockers (great for shoppers who live in apartment buildings) and arm them with tools to track their delivery, like the AusPost app. A bonus here is fewer customer tracking enquiries in your inbox, giving you more time to focus on getting orders out the door. 

What about the X-factor? 

With all this prep to do, it’s easy to forget the last ingredient; the X-factor. How do you plan to stand out from the crowd during such a busy time?

A few ideas you might consider are offering exclusive, early access to your sales for members or setting up a live support chat to help shoppers confidently make last minute purchases. There’s lots of ways eCommerce businesses are using AI to extend their customer support during peak season.

You could try the surprise and delight tactic and include a gift with purchase or discount code for the next time they shop with you. 

For Doggie Balm, it’s about building loyalty and trust with their customers, who are seeking not only great products for their pets – but great value as well. 

Says Maria: “It starts with a quality product, but we then reward loyalty via discount pricing to our subscribers and exclusive gift deals.”

And considering 67% of Gen Z shoppers would switch retailers for faster shipping,3 upgrading orders free express or next day shipping could be your secret weapon.

Start now to stay ahead

Peak season success is about more than just handling volume - it’s about delivering confidence. By preparing early, integrating the right tools and aligning with customer delivery expectations, you’ll be ready to meet demand and have a winning peak season. 

Subscribe for the latest Australia Post network updates this peak season, or get more tips on preparing for peak season.

¹  Data derived from Australia Post Quarterly eCommerce Report, Nov-Dec 2024 (Q2)

² TikTok internal search data, AU, US, UK, Oct to Dec 2023

³ Inside Australian Online Shopping report, Australia Post, 2024