Q4 is when a strong promotion can drive the kind of order spike you want and the kind of fulfillment slowdown you don’t.
We usually hear from brands in Q1 who saw fulfillment grind to a crawl after a successful sale. The problem wasn’t the demand. It was that sales and operations weren’t moving in sync. By the time adjustments were made, the campaign had lost its edge, and the support inbox was full.
The good news is that this is preventable. Keeping sales and operations aligned is one of the easiest pitfalls to avoid if you know what to confirm with your provider ahead of peak. Here are a few areas to check to prevent sales and operations misalignment before peak season—and before your promotions go live.
Campaigns only succeed when sales & fulfillment move together.
A promotion is designed to create urgency and drive sales. But if orders from that campaign don’t ship right away, the momentum is lost. We’ve talked with brands who watched their best campaign of the year stall because fulfillment couldn’t keep pace. By the time the backlog cleared, customers were already frustrated, and the revenue lift was offset by service costs.
The problem isn’t the promotion itself. It’s the lack of preparation between sales and operations. If your provider doesn’t see your promotional calendar early enough, they can’t staff up, adjust workflows, or get high-volume products ready in time. That misalignment is what turns a successful campaign into a recovery effort.
Here’s how to prevent sales and operations misalignment before peak season:
Ask your fulfillment partner these questions to understand how they prepare for promotions:
- How far in advance do you need my promotional calendar to plan staffing and staging?
- Can you pre-pack bundles or high-volume SKUs before the campaign goes live?
- How do you shift labor and workflow during a spike so orders don’t back up?
The answers matter because a weak provider will tell you, “We’ll handle it when orders come in.” A strong one will insist on early visibility, stage SKUs in advance, and have labor plans ready so your campaign momentum isn’t lost.
Marketing dollars, customer trust, and revenue all depend on orders shipping when promised. If fulfillment lags behind sales, campaign results evaporate. If both move together, promotions run at full strength, promises are kept, and new customers turn into repeat ones.
The right checks now prevent sales and operations misalignment before peak season—and protect your margins.
We’ve covered just one of the common pitfalls seen during peak season. In “The Ultimate Guide to Avoiding Holiday Logistics Pitfalls”, we break down three more that cause the biggest problems in Q4 and how to avoid them. Download it now so your business can get through the holidays without losing momentum.
