Last year’s bestseller stocks out, last year’s slow mover overflows the racks — buying plans are pure gut feel.
Peak Season Prep
You start stocking up two months before Black Friday — walking a tightrope between overstock and stockout, while temp workers are still learning the ropes.
The three biggest headaches
Temp workers mispick on day one, and the return pile grows faster than anyone can clear it.
When orders surge, support can’t trust the inventory number — the WMS and the storefront disagree.
Recommended apps, in rollout order
- WMS · WarehousingPhone-guided receiving, putaway, picking, packing, shipping, and counts — mistakes blocked at every step.
- OMS · Order ManagementOne place for every order: check live stock, promise wisely, ship, and handle returns.
- Purchase · PurchasingFrom request to approved PO to planned arrival — no more guessing what’s coming in.
A typical day
- 1
Morning: check replenishment suggestions built from last year’s sales — buy with data, not gut feel.
- 2
Midday: temp workers scan their way through receiving — the system catches the wrong SKU before it ships.
- 3
Afternoon: wave picking keeps the pack stations fed while the order queue keeps climbing.
- 4
End of day: today’s fill rate and remaining capacity in one view — tomorrow’s labor plan writes itself.