Are you ready for a Peak like no other?

As we approach the traditional peak shopping period, it will be a “peak like no other”. With so much uncertainty in the air, it’s difficult to say what will transpire over the next few months. We have already seen job losses and, with furlough payments due to come to an end in October, the unemployment figures are only going to go up. But what we can be fairly certain about is that the vast majority of what people are prepared to spend will be online.

Prior to Covid-19 the shift to online was steady, with businesses able to make gradual adjustments to their operations in line with demand. But following the introduction of a nationwide lockdown, many online retailers and logistics providers were overwhelmed by the flood of online orders. Fulfilling this unprecedented volume of orders would have been challenging at the best of times, but the introduction of social distancing measures meant it just wasn’t possible to have enough people on the shopfloor to do the picking and packing, compounding an already difficult situation.

While most businesses have managed to make adjustments to be able to cope with much of the recent growth, some are doing little more than treading water.

My concern is coping with the pressures Black Friday and the Christmas shopping rush will bring. Demand on the order fulfilment part of any operation will be increased; while we might see fewer sales of expensive, big ticket items, the chances are that these will be replaced with lower value items, but more of them.

So, how do you get a packaging operation already running at full capacity ready for the biggest demand in online sales ever seen?

You need to make every single part of your operation work hard. And while social distancing measures are still in place it’s not possible to increase capacity by taking on additional workers, so the most efficient way to increase capacity and efficiency is automation.

Over the last few months at Antalis, we have helped numerous businesses to successfully transform their operations by adding packaging machinery. Even just adding one bit of kit, such as on-demand void fill can make a huge difference. All businesses, whatever their size, can benefit from the introduction of some degree of packaging automation. It can generate huge efficiencies. If a business already uses packaging machinery, it might not be running as efficiently as it could be. Get whatever kit you currently have checked over and serviced. At Antalis, we have helped customers to increase throughput at the same times as saving as much as 70% in material costs and wastage after reviewing their existing equipment and set up.

The pressures on online retailers doesn’t end with order fulfilment. With fewer people heading out to physical stores, the fight for retail market share is also shifting online. Giving consumers an online shopping experience that will make them come back again and again is going to be key to long-term success. One of the best ways to achieve this is with personalisation, and there are some great things that can be done in this regard nowadays. Our team at the (currently virtual) Smart Packaging Centre have done some brilliant work in this area, such as limited edition beauty box it created for subscription brand TheVeganKind’s collaboration with vegan influencer Monami Frost.

Among the mayhem of the last few months, the need to operate responsibly and sustainably hasn’t gone away. John believes it’s easy to lose focus on this when you’re trying to simply get stuff out of the door, but with government packaging waste targets coupled ongoing concerns about the impact of packaging, particularly single-use packaging, it’s important that businesses continue to give it the attention it deserves. 

Again, it’s something that automation can make a difference with. For example, some machinery can eliminate the need for void fill altogether, creating a smaller package footprint and reduced material usage; plus, because more packages can be loaded onto a vehicle, it can also help to reduce carbon emissions.

John Garner, head of business development for packaging, Antalis

To download the Antalis Peak Guide, visit https://ask.antalis.com/peak-guide-2020

Contact:

• www.antalis.co.uk
• 0370 241 1466
• [email protected]