So what does this mean for marketers?
Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2024 4:22 am
Coronavirus vaccines could complicate things.
Both Pfizer and Moderna recently applied to the FDA for emergency COVID-19 vaccine approvals—and both companies could begin shipping vaccines across the U.S. by the end of the year.
Armstrong believes vaccine shipments will be “relatively insignificant” compared to the volume of e-commerce packages—tens of thousands versus tens of millions.
If those vaccines require special handling, though, which they probably will. Some vaccines need to be stored at temperatures as low as -80 degrees Celsius (emphasis on Celsius!). That requires robust cooling infrastructure, as well as delicate handling—the vaccines will likely be shipped in glass vials.
No, marketers probably won’t be delivering packages on Dec. 24, but they numeros de telefono de brasil can still help prevent #Shipageddon, says Sauceda. A former marketer himself, he says “marketers play a bigger role than they think in ensuring the success of logistics teams.”
So what exactly can they do? He and Armstrong put together a short list of essentials.
Communicate clearly with logistics teams…
Marketers should be constantly communicating with their logistics teams, sharing when they’re running big promotions, how they’re setting shipping expectations with customers, and the overall sales goals they’re trying to achieve.
They should also be constantly asking what’s feasible. Especially when it comes to sales goals, “if they’re too extravagant, we might have a hard time hitting them,” Sauceda says.
Making sure warehouse workers can maintain proper social distancing (and sleep!) is a top priority.
…the metrics they care about.
Logistics pros want to know two things, Sauceda says: How many orders are there, and how many items are there per order?
Not too hard, right? “Marketers talk about this all the time,” he says.
The problem is that their forecasts also include a ton of other metrics, like average order value and lifetime customer value. The key is to sift through the redundant data and only share the relevant metrics.
Send customers real messages.
Like, “Order early!” Sauceda says. It’s really that simple. Specifically, he suggests, encourage customers to buy this week; orders next week are still technically guaranteed by most carriers, but that’s more of a gamble.
After the deadline, or even before! Sauceda also suggests encouraging customers to pick up their orders in store. (Wear a mask, of course.)
If you run out of product, do it in style.
Yes, maximizing sales is great—but if a product sells out, there’s a strategic way you can do it to boost your brand in the long term. Like a long line, the “Sold Out!” tag also represents exclusivity; Armstrong says some brands, especially in the luxury space, intentionally sell out during the holiday season.
“Even if you’re not a luxury brand and you run out of stock,” he says, “you can still try to capitalize on that FOMO and start getting a lot of pre-orders so that once you have stock, you can sell it all out again.”
Say no to free gifts. It’s much easier to ship 10,000 identical hats than it is to ship the same hats plus a free gift of the buyer’s choice.
Introducing a free gift option “turns it into 10,000 unique orders,” Sauceda says. That can significantly slow down order fulfillment.
This is a critical time, so respect that. Before you make an enticing promise to a customer, consider the logistics of fulfilling that promise at scale at your warehouse during peak shipping times. In other words, he advises, don’t give away free gifts with purchases, and don’t give away gift wrapping.
“Don’t ask anyone to do that,” he says.
Both Pfizer and Moderna recently applied to the FDA for emergency COVID-19 vaccine approvals—and both companies could begin shipping vaccines across the U.S. by the end of the year.
Armstrong believes vaccine shipments will be “relatively insignificant” compared to the volume of e-commerce packages—tens of thousands versus tens of millions.
If those vaccines require special handling, though, which they probably will. Some vaccines need to be stored at temperatures as low as -80 degrees Celsius (emphasis on Celsius!). That requires robust cooling infrastructure, as well as delicate handling—the vaccines will likely be shipped in glass vials.
No, marketers probably won’t be delivering packages on Dec. 24, but they numeros de telefono de brasil can still help prevent #Shipageddon, says Sauceda. A former marketer himself, he says “marketers play a bigger role than they think in ensuring the success of logistics teams.”
So what exactly can they do? He and Armstrong put together a short list of essentials.
Communicate clearly with logistics teams…
Marketers should be constantly communicating with their logistics teams, sharing when they’re running big promotions, how they’re setting shipping expectations with customers, and the overall sales goals they’re trying to achieve.
They should also be constantly asking what’s feasible. Especially when it comes to sales goals, “if they’re too extravagant, we might have a hard time hitting them,” Sauceda says.
Making sure warehouse workers can maintain proper social distancing (and sleep!) is a top priority.
…the metrics they care about.
Logistics pros want to know two things, Sauceda says: How many orders are there, and how many items are there per order?
Not too hard, right? “Marketers talk about this all the time,” he says.
The problem is that their forecasts also include a ton of other metrics, like average order value and lifetime customer value. The key is to sift through the redundant data and only share the relevant metrics.
Send customers real messages.
Like, “Order early!” Sauceda says. It’s really that simple. Specifically, he suggests, encourage customers to buy this week; orders next week are still technically guaranteed by most carriers, but that’s more of a gamble.
After the deadline, or even before! Sauceda also suggests encouraging customers to pick up their orders in store. (Wear a mask, of course.)
If you run out of product, do it in style.
Yes, maximizing sales is great—but if a product sells out, there’s a strategic way you can do it to boost your brand in the long term. Like a long line, the “Sold Out!” tag also represents exclusivity; Armstrong says some brands, especially in the luxury space, intentionally sell out during the holiday season.
“Even if you’re not a luxury brand and you run out of stock,” he says, “you can still try to capitalize on that FOMO and start getting a lot of pre-orders so that once you have stock, you can sell it all out again.”
Say no to free gifts. It’s much easier to ship 10,000 identical hats than it is to ship the same hats plus a free gift of the buyer’s choice.
Introducing a free gift option “turns it into 10,000 unique orders,” Sauceda says. That can significantly slow down order fulfillment.
This is a critical time, so respect that. Before you make an enticing promise to a customer, consider the logistics of fulfilling that promise at scale at your warehouse during peak shipping times. In other words, he advises, don’t give away free gifts with purchases, and don’t give away gift wrapping.
“Don’t ask anyone to do that,” he says.