Black Friday is shaping up to be a strong one for UK ecommerce brands. Barclays reports that 26% of shoppers have been putting money aside for Black Friday and Christmas sales, while insight from Omnisend suggests consumers could spend around £14 billion over the Black Friday period. That is a £4 billion uplift on last year, and a major opportunity for brands across the UK.
Alongside a welcome spike in sales, peak trading brings a wave of new customers. They arrive for the discounts but can be encouraged to stay long after the offers end. The real question is how to turn price driven purchases into long term brand loyalty.
Fast delivery is one of the most powerful drivers of customer satisfaction. Shoppers expect their orders to arrive quickly, on time and exactly as described. This is where the right fulfilment partner makes a difference.
Machine learning, robotics and advanced automation can significantly improve accuracy during the picking and packing process. Proprietary warehouse management systems, such as Active Ants’ Maya software, are built to optimise stock locations and streamline fulfilment. Products are stored in prime positions which supports fast and accurate dispatch as soon as orders come through. This reduces errors, improves first time accuracy and protects the customer experience at the busiest time of year.
While customers love a good offer, the sheer volume of deals during peak can cause promotion fatigue. When every retailer is shouting at once, brand recall becomes harder to maintain.
This is where personalisation becomes invaluable. With seamless integration between webshop platforms and fulfilment systems, brands can gain real time insight into customer behaviour. This makes it possible to tailor offers, recommendations and communications in a way that resonates with each individual shopper. Personalisation adds emotional value, creates memorability and encourages repeat purchases long after Black Friday.
Unboxing is one of the most effective ways to strengthen loyalty. Working closely with ecommerce brands, we analyse order data to understand what is driving conversions and what triggers peaks in demand. This insight is used to create tailored messaging inside each order and to personalise packaging so that it feels relevant and meaningful for every shopper.
Late stage printing allows personalised text or creative to be added to packaging, while in pack inserts can include tailored offers or messages that feel genuinely individual. A positive unboxing moment builds connection, encourages social sharing and unlocks opportunities for cross selling and upselling.
To deliver this at scale, your fulfilment partner must have the right balance of automation, robotics and highly trained people. This ensures every order is picked, packed and dispatched with care while still meeting the speed expectations of UK shoppers.
If you want to cut through the noise of the Golden Quarter and keep shoppers coming back after the discounts end, our team can help.
Talk to our ecommerce fulfilment experts today
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