Turn Holi-Data Into Smarter Decisions in 2026
The peak holiday shopping season places deep stress on global supply chains, with surges in volumes and heightened customer expectations for on-time deliveries making it the most challenging time of the year for the majority of retail and e-commerce companies. Global e-commerce sales are expected to reach more than $305 billion this holiday season, surpassing prior years’ sales and presenting an important opportunity for companies to gain greater insights into their operations.
When analyzed effectively, peak season shopping data can help companies build a more effective roadmap for improving order accuracy, efficiency and overall supply chain resilience in the new year. By analyzing performance through proprietary data and insights from supply chain partners, companies can more accurately optimize forecasting, inventory strategy and transportation planning to create better customer experiences and brand loyalty in the new year and beyond.
Sifting Through the Holiday Data Gold Mine
With challenge also comes opportunity for retail and e-commerce companies, as seasonal spikes expose strengths and weaknesses in supply chains. High-volume periods offer deeper insights into customer behavior within a short period of time while highlighting operational bottlenecks, providing companies with a unique opportunity to optimize their strategies. By understanding what the data says about a company’s operations and the customer experience, companies can identify where they excel versus where opportunities for improvement lie and make plans to further capitalize on their strengths and streamline operations in more vulnerable areas.
Some key areas for analysis include:
- Identify trends for better demand forecasting: Reviewing order volumes by SKU, region and channel can help identify which products, areas and sales channels may require greater focus moving forward. Be sure to look for any anomalies or unexpected top performers and make planning adjustments accordingly. This data can also be used to build more accurate predictive models, and working closely with supply chain 3PL partners can provide additional insights across marketplaces and fulfillment nodes to determine where further adjustments may be required.
- Inventory positioning and network optimization: When working to understand overall peak season performance, examine fulfillment times in conjunction with shipping zones to see where gaps may need to be addressed. It’s also important to review where any stockouts occurred to inform future planning and ensure sufficient inventory for upcoming spikes in demand. Based on volume concentrations, analyze whether it may be better to add more distribution centers to your network or reposition SKUs across current locations to better meet demand and improve delivery timelines. An experienced 3PL can also help develop strategies to fill gaps in coverage.
- Labor planning and operational efficiency: Identify seasonal labor bottlenecks or times/areas when productivity dropped. Where possible, determine what processes can be automated to create greater efficiency and reduce manual effort for employees. Establishing processes to enhance efficiency and building training programs around them can also help to ensure all staff are on the same page.
- Carrier performance: Analyze delivery times, cost per shipment and on-time percentages across your company’s carrier network, and compare those numbers against regional carrier success rates and surcharges. Working with your 3PL to understand where additional gaps and opportunities lie based on their transportation data can also help with rate negotiations.
- Reverse logistics and returns data: Study the reasons why returns were made across your customer base and whether or not operations can be adjusted to prevent them on the front end. In addition, review the cost and speed of returns processing to see if improvements can be made to improve cost efficiency and the customer experience.
Turning Insights Into Action
While these areas represent only a few ways to enable better decision making, having all of the right data at your fingertips is essential to helping make the right decisions moving forward. Working closely with a trusted 3PL partner to ensure access to all of the necessary data can help provide a clearer picture of performance and where opportunities may exist. Collaborating on forecasting, inventory strategy and transportation performance can help to create better alignment throughout the year while setting companies up for success in upcoming peak seasons. This collaboration also helps to provide real-time visibility and can enable partners to communicate proactively to prevent potential issues from impacting operations or the customer experience.
Holiday data shouldn’t be packed away — it should inform next year’s strategy and help prepare for an even more successful peak season in the years to come. NXTPoint Logistics works with companies every day to provide a full spectrum of customized supply chain solutions, from inventory management and order fulfillment to final delivery and even reverse logistics. We also provide full visibility along the way, giving companies the data they need to gain actionable insights for improvement that can help them become faster, more efficient and more resilient with each passing year.
To gain greater insights into how your holiday performance data can inform your strategy in 2026 and beyond, consult the team of experts at NXTPoint Logistics for a customized solution.
