Don’t Let the Supply-chain Be the Weak Link in Your Holiday Experience
The holidays are coming and will be here before we know it. But if news about the supply chain is to be believed, what might not be coming are the items you plan to buy for the various celebrations. For weeks, the media has been alerting us all about possible worldwide shipping delays, running from Halloween to the end of December and beyond. At PFL, we are hearing the same from our vendor network. Many are warning us that orders placed after the end of October—which is right about NOW—are at risk of being out of stock for the remainder of the year.
Similarly, FedEx and USPS are stressing delivery delays and have advised us of their recommended ship-by dates to ensure packages land by Saturday, December 25.
USPS
Continental U.S.
December 15: USPS retail ground service
December 17: First-class mail service (including holiday greeting cards)
December 17: First-class packages (up to 15.99 ounces)
December 18: Priority mail service
December 23: Priority mail express service
Alaska and Hawaii
December 17: Hawaii to/from mainland — Priority mail and first-class mail
December 18: Alaska to/from Continental U.S. — First-class and priority mail
December 21: Alaska to/from Continental U.S. and Hawaii to/from mainland — Priority mail express
FedEx
December 9: Ground economy
December 13: Ground and home delivery
December 17: Three-day service
December 20: Two-day and two-day a.m.
December 21: Overnight services
Supplies Really Are Limited
So what have we done to alleviate some of these supply-chain concerns? Well, the PFL product team has already curated and stocked an array of holiday gifts you can send to your prospects and customers—but, as they say, supplies are limited. They really are. If you missed our amazing Holiday Virtual Event showcasing the new collection, please watch it here. It’s epic.
It’s also important to note that even if you don’t plan to send holiday gifts but are running other programs from October through December, these worldwide shortages can be problematic there, too. But no worry. You have experts on your team—the PFL CSMs—who will be happy to listen to your goals and help you create a program to deliver the right hybrid experience to the right people at the right time. Because providing one-to-one personalization at infinite scale is what PFL does—not only for the holidays, but all year long.
