Since the 1980s, Black Friday has held its name by putting businesses in the black to turn a profit for the year. With the holiday shopping season nearing $1 trillion in 2023, businesses of all sizes are poised to make a pretty penny during this year’s peak season — if they plan ahead.

Holiday shopping predictions are in, and many of them point to delivery options — particularly ultrafast delivery — as the key to peak season success. But adding the right delivery partners and processes is best done strategically. Keep reading for an in-depth look at the questions to ask and considerations to make so you can start seeing that Black Friday effect well before holiday shopping gets underway.

2023 Delivery performance review

The biggest contributor to future success is analyzing your past performance. With that in mind, start your 2024 peak season plan by looking back at 2023. Dig into the delivery data of your online orders to spot trends, successes and opportunities for improvement. Here are seven key elements to include in your 2023 delivery performance analysis: 

  1. Average delivery time. How long did most of your orders take from delivery to doorstep? Consider breaking down this metric by geography to see how your delivery speed changes by distance. 
  2. Delivery success rate. Did your deliveries all arrive at their destinations? For any delays or failed deliveries, look into the reasons behind the issues and start planning how to overcome them.
  3. Cart abandonment. How many 2023 customers placed items in their online cart without checking out? Nearly half of shoppers (46%) leave items behind if they find they can’t get them fast enough. Consider adding a faster delivery speed to help reduce those lost sales. 
  4. Delivery speed and pricing. Speaking of faster delivery, this is also the perfect time to analyze how customers used the options available to them. Compare the delivery timelines you offered last year with the pricing you charged for each delivery speed. Look for the most popular options, and consider what new combinations you might offer in 2024. This could mean increasing or decreasing pricing, or offering a wider selection of delivery speeds.
  5. Staffing efficiencies. Order picking and packing can be time-consuming, and while many hands make light work, extra staff can eat into your profits. Look to last year’s trends for guidance on budgeting enough — but not too many — staffing hours to find that peak season sweet spot. 
  6. Technology utilization. Which delivery features are customers asking for, and which are you offering? More and more customers are demanding to know where their orders are at all times, and prefer photographic proof of delivery (which can help protect retailers too). If you haven’t offered text and email order updates or photographic chain of custody, now’s the time to consider adding those services. The right platform will also help you manage all deliveries seamlessly. 
  7. Logistics partnerships. How are your relationships with your current logistics providers? Were they helpful and responsive during last year’s peak season? How do they handle ultrafast deliveries, off-schedule order replenishment and less-than-truckload order sizes? There’s plenty of time to onboard a new partner before peak season begins and address those questions and contingencies. 

Believe it or not, this is just the start of a truly thorough analysis of your delivery performance. Click here for a deeper dive into customer experience, communications and more. 

Applying 2023 data to 2024 demands

With a solid understanding of where your delivery performance was, it’s time to get it in shape for where it needs to be. 

The 2024 peak holiday shopping season will be a big one, likely reaching the trillion-dollar mark. The National Retail Federation says consumers spent $964.4 billion during the 2023 holiday season, and new holiday shopping research from Salsify says 15% of consumers expect to spend more this year, while 61% plan to maintain their 2023 spending. Here’s what to expect: 

Holiday shopping will start early.

With only 27 shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Forbes analysts predict consumers will ramp up holiday shopping as early as October — which means retailers must have marketing and logistics in place by early fall. “Marketers should prioritize managing shipping deadlines and inventory, and streamline campaign launches to maximize sales,” Forbes says, adding that a lull in shopping just before Thanksgiving is common. Don’t be deceived: Black Friday and a compressed calendar between holidays will mean a busy December.


Brands must meet shoppers where they are.

Straightforward website-based online shopping isn’t how consumers are shopping anymore. Research from Capital One found that shoppers have an average of six touchpoints with a brand on an average purchase journey, and that retailers with three or more shopping channels have a 19% engagement rate with customers, while single-channel retailers only have 5.4% consumer engagement. For 2024, prepare to have consistent messaging across all your channels and delivery options that meet shoppers where they are. This could be standard online ordering, in-store shopping, buy online pick up in store (BOPIS), social media marketplaces and more. 

Fast delivery will be essential.

Regardless of which channel customers purchase from, once peak season begins, your delivery processes will kick into high gear. For 2024, Roadie has found that ultrafast delivery must be part of any successful peak season plan. When consumers choose where to do their online shopping, delivery speed is their second most important decision factor, only behind free shipping availability. 

Crowdsourced same-day delivery offers excellent ROI 

What’s the best way to fill gaps between last year’s delivery performance and 2024’s peak season predictions? The short answer: crowdsourced same-day delivery. Think your management team won’t go for it? Think again. 

It’s well known that crowdsourced same-day delivery can solve challenges in any logistics plan, including (but not limited to):

  • Providing flexible, on-demand delivery fulfillment (essential to keep inventory moving during peak season).
  • Offering timely order tracking and delivery confirmation, which customers have come to expect.
  • Creating an ultrafast delivery option to reduce cart abandonment.
  • Giving businesses an easy way to enter deliveries and track their success.

And while implementing same-day delivery or onboarding a new logistics process may seem costly, choosing the right partner can help you turn same-day delivery into a profit center with substantial ROI. 

Recent Roadie research found that 80% of businesses that adopted same-day delivery reported an increase in revenue per order, with some seeing sales surge as much as 10%. Moreover, same-day delivery options help attract new customers and increase repeat business. More than three-quarters of business leaders (77%) noted an increase in net-new sales, and 80% observed higher customer retention rates after offering same-day delivery. 

Get on the path to peak season success today

It’s not too late to add same-day delivery to your 2024 peak season logistics plan. The Roadie team is ready to discuss your options today and get you up and running with same-day delivery in as little as a few weeks. 

The sooner you start offering same-day delivery, the sooner you begin reaping the impressive rewards that ultrafast delivery offers. Get a head start on the path to peak season success with Roadie.