A Guide to Peak 2023 - FAQ

A Guide to Peak 2023 - FAQ

Fulfilment Process



Background Information 

Every November and December, e-commerce sales reach their peak, driven significantly by Christmas shopping and marked by retail events like Black Friday and Cyber Week.


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.

Goods In


During the peak period last year, our warehouses needed to prioritise picking and packing orders to get everything despatched on time.

To ensure your products are ready to go so that you don’t miss out on any sales, it is best to forecast your order volume for October, November and December. Getting your stock in the warehouse ahead of time will reduce the chance of any errors or delays. Avoid customer disappointment and submit your forecasts using this link

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.

Order Cancellation

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.

Reducing Error by Using the ON HOLD Feature

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? 

Where Is My Order? 

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.

New SLA Times

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:

Process

Standard SLA (Days*)

Peak SLA (Days*)

ASN Book-In

2

6

Returns Book-In

3

7
*Days: Working days (Monday to Friday) 


Carriers:

Deliveries

Standard SLAs (Days*)

Peak SLAs (Days*)

Next Day

1

2-3

Standard

2-3

4-6

International

5-7

8-9

*Days: Working days (Monday to Friday) 
To be updated

Customer Support:

Priority

Standard SLA (Hours*)

Peak SLA (Hours*)

High

2

4

Normal

38

*Hours: 09:00 am to 05:00 pm (Monday to Friday)

View & Request Proof of Deliveries in the Seller Portal

We have added the following button to the order actions and order details page: 
To be updated
  • 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:

  1. Parcelforce last despatch date:
    Next Day Services: Thursday 21st of December
    Standard Services: Wednesday 20th of December

  2. 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

  3. Hermes/EvRi last despach date:
    All services: Tuesday 19th December

  4. DPD last despatch date:
    DPD UK: Thursday 21st of December

  5. DHL last despatch date: All Services: Thursday 21st of December

 Returns

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.


Warehouse Closure Dates

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.


DECEMBERJANUARY
Warehouse NameFri 22ndSat 23rdSun 24thMon 25thTue 26thWed 27thThu 28thFri 29thSat 30thSun 31stMon 1stTue 2ndWed 3rd
UK-OCFSN5CLOSED*CLOSEDCLOSEDCLOSEDCLOSEDCLOSED*CLOSEDCLOSEDCLOSED
UK-OGDBD2CLOSEDCLOSEDCLOSEDCLOSEDCLOSED
UK-ELOWV1CLOSEDCLOSEDCLOSEDCLOSEDCLOSEDCLOSEDCLOSED
DE-ONT245CLOSEDCLOSEDCLOSEDCLOSEDCLOSEDCLOSEDCLOSED
*
Closed after 14:00pm and cutoff time is moved from 14:00pm to 12:00pm.

Important Links

Here, you'll find a list of essential instructions. Explore these links below to find answers on your questions. 

INBOUND
1) 
How to Create an Advanced Shipment Notification (ASN)

ORDER PROCESSING

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