The Q4 consistently brings a range of challenges for online sellers. These encompass tasks such as optimising website capacity to handle traffic surges, managing inventory production, and guaranteeing timely order fulfilment. Continue reading to discover the insights gained from the previous year's peak season and the essential measures to take in order to ensure a positive shopping experience for your customers this year.
As we gear up for the peak period, there are several tools we'd like to emphasise that can help mitigate support demands and address many frequently asked questions.
During the peak period last year, our warehouses needed to prioritise picking and packing orders to get everything despatched on time.
To get your stock ready as fast as possible and reduce errors, it is best practice to ensure that your suppliers send single-SKU cartons to avoid delays.
Bezos Sellers can automatically cancel orders that have not been sent to the warehouse. If an order has been sent to the warehouse, Bezos sellers can request a cancellation through the Seller Portal and the Bezos Ops Team will do their best to cancel the order, however, this is not guaranteed. Please follow the link to learn more about order cancellation : How to cancel an order
Why can’t I cancel/modify some orders?
When an order is sent to the warehouse, and the products haven't been picked and packed, we are able to cancel/modify it. Nevertheless, it's important to note that if the order has already been packed and placed in the courier collection zone, regrettably, we cannot accommodate any alterations to the order. We recommend informing your customers that they have the option to refuse the delivery, which will result in the order being returned to us at no cost.
What is the “ON HOLD” feature?
This feature will automatically hold all orders for 1 hour once they have been sent to Bezos, before sending the order to the warehouse to be picked and packed. For more details and how to use the feature, please use the following link: New orders are "on hold" - what is that and why do we do it?
During peak times, it's not just warehouses that face challenges, the parcel carriers find it difficult to keep up with demand and struggle to collect on time throughout peak.
We want to inform you that our SLA times for various processes will be extended during November and December. The Peak Season will begin on October 15, 2023 and continue until January 10, 2024. Additionally, the carriers have adjusted their delivery SLAs in line with these changes. Please find the details below:
Bezos:
Carriers:
Customer Support:
*Hours: 09:00 am to 05:00 pm (Monday to Friday)
View Proof of Delivery:
This is for orders that are delivered with Royal Mail, Hermes, DPD and DHL, Yodel. When clicked, this will take you to the couriers tracking page where you can view the Proof of Delivery online.
Request Proof of Delivery:
This is for orders that are delivered with Parcel Force. When clicked, it will automatically request the Bezos team to get proof of delivery from the courier as they aren't available online. The Bezos team will follow up by email with the proof of delivery.
Carrier service details for deliveries before Christmas day:
Parcelforce last despatch date:
Next Day Services: Thursday 21st of December
Standard Services: Wednesday 20th of December
Royal Mail last despatch date:
Next Day Services: Thursday 21st of December
Standard Services: Wednesday 20th of December
International EU: Wednesday 13th of December
International RoW: Monday 11th of December
Hermes/EvRi last despach date:
All services: Tuesday 19th December
DPD last despatch date:
DPD UK: Thursday 21st of December
DHL last despatch date: All Services: Thursday 21st of December
Throughout the peak period, returns will not undergo immediate processing due to the substantial amount of orders being returned. The returns procedure involves manual tasks such as unpacking, inspection, and restocking, typically finalised within 72 hours of the return's arrival. However, during peak times, this timeframe might extend to up to 7 days, as the warehouse team prioritises dispatch of your orders on time.
The warehouse closure dates may be different for each location, and dates might change. Therefore, ensure you regularly check the table below for any updates.