Preparing for Peak Season Logistics

seamless delivery process is critical to keep up with the holiday rush, maintain customer satisfaction, and capture sales during the peak season. During the holidays, shoppers are often on tight schedules, balancing their purchases with holiday events, work deadlines, and family obligations. Same-day delivery offers a convenient solution for last-minute shopping, making it easier for customers to check items off their lists quickly. 

However, offering delivery services comes with high expectations, and failing to meet them can lead to disappointed customers and damaged brand reputation. Seventy-three percent of consumers noted they would not purchase again from a retailer that provided a poor shipping or returns experience during the holidays, according to a consumer survey by Radial.

As online shopping grows, so does the pressure to deliver products quickly, efficiently, and reliably. Here’s a closer look at some strategies and technologies to help companies enhance their logistics operations and ensure that orders arrive on time during the peak holiday season.

Last-mile delivery is one of the most challenging aspects of holiday logistics due to the sheer number of orders, narrow delivery windows, and high customer expectations. To improve last-mile efficiency, retailers are optimizing delivery routes, partnering with third-party delivery providers, and expanding the use of micro-fulfillment centers in urban areas. Route optimization technology can help retailers ensure packages are delivered as efficiently as possible. By planning routes more efficiently, companies can deliver more packages per route, reduce fuel costs, and minimize delays. 

Businesses are also utilizing autonomous vehicles and drones in select areas to improve last-mile delivery times. The autonomous delivery vehicle market is projected to reach $11.5 billion by 2032, according to a report from Global Market Insights Inc. This growth is due to the rapid expansion of eCommerce and the demand for reliable, fast delivery services. Retail and logistics companies are making autonomous vehicles a priority to meet consumer expectations for same-day and next-day deliveries.

Consumers today expect flexible delivery options like same-day, next-day, and scheduled delivery, especially during the holiday season. More than half (58%) of consumers noted they will likely use a feature that allows selecting specific delivery days if the cost is reasonable and slots are generally available, Radial noted. To meet this demand, companies are offering a variety of delivery options that give customers more control over when and how they receive their packages. Offering multiple delivery time-windows on weekends, early mornings, or late evenings helps spread out the workload and allows for more flexibility. 

Companies are also implementing flexible solutions including partnering with third-party delivery services, lockers, and buy online pickup in-store, reducing the burden on home delivery. Businesses can build their own flexible fleets including in-house drivers, crowdsourced, independent contractors, 3PLs, or a combination of resources enabling flexible real-time vehicle allocation. Building a diverse fleet can increase delivery capacity, enabling retailers to easily expand their delivery operations and provide faster, flexible options.

Many retailers partner with local third-party logistics providers to handle peak demands. Working with local delivery partners provides flexibility and scalability, allowing companies to handle spikes in holiday demand more effectively. Local third-party logistics providers are familiar with the area, understand the best routes, and are more flexible in handling specific customer requests, such as particular delivery times or locations. This local knowledge helps to minimize delivery errors and ensure packages arrive safely.

Eighty-two percent of shippers said 3PLs improved customer service, 66% said they helped reduce costs, and 68% noted 3PLs offered innovative ways to boost logistics performance, according to the 2025 Annual Third-Party Logistics Study. Local delivery providers often have a fleet of vehicles and couriers ready to respond to fluctuating order volumes. This flexibility allows retailers to expand or reduce their delivery capacity based on daily or weekly demand, making it easier to adapt to the holiday rush.

The holiday season brings a significant uptick in returns, which can be overwhelming for retailers and logistics providers. Increasing flexibility and giving online shoppers more return options can help increase holiday sales. Eighty-two percent of consumers said that having multiple return options makes them more likely to make an online purchase during the holidays, according to a new survey from Navar and Reshop. 

Investing in reverse logistics technology solutions can help logistics companies manage returns faster and more efficiently. Happy Returns is reducing processing times at its East Coast hub after upgrading it with Geek+ robotics. The UPS company tasked Geek+ this year with creating its first automated returns hub, located in Pennsylvania. With its robotics upgrade, Happy Returns is aiming to accelerate and improve the reverse logistics process for the nearly 1,000 brands for which it offers returns services. In the first 30 days of using Geek+ automation, Happy Returns reported an increase in process accuracy and a decline in product loss.

The holiday season often brings last-minute orders, higher volumes of online purchases and returns, and increased demand for faster delivery times. By embracing digital solutions, optimizing last-mile delivery, scaling operations, and focusing on flexibility, logistics providers can meet customer expectations and be better prepared to tackle the seasonal rush.

For more information about how our delivery management solution can help you manage your deliveries more efficiently this holiday season, please contact info@bringoz.com.