This article was created by our partner, Kase, the 3PL omnichannel fulfillment solution for fast-growing brands.
A holiday promotion goes live, and orders climb; the ecommerce team celebrates. Meanwhile, the warehouse is working through an unexpected surge. Customers have already purchased products with delivery promises that fulfillment teams now must meet.
That disconnect could be costly this season. Adobe’s September 2026 forecast projects $275.1 billion in U.S. online holiday spending, up 6.7% from 2025. Yet Kase’s peak season research found that 79% of retail and ecommerce fulfillment leaders expect to make reactive decisions once volume spikes.
The opportunity is to connect what happens online with what happens after an order is placed. Peak season fulfillment starts with the decisions that shape the sale. Here’s how.
Make product availability match what can ship
A product can be physically inside a warehouse without being ready for sale. It may still need receiving checks, or units may already be reserved for other orders. When storefront availability overlooks those details, a successful promotion can quickly become a stockout problem.
Kase’s research found that 52% of respondents identified inventory imbalance as their top operational risk heading into peak. Keeping availability current is critical, especially when the same SKU sells through multiple channels.
Technology can help. When platforms connect ERP, warehouse, and fulfillment systems to support accurate inventory and order information, brands can validate how those connections handle reservations and stock adjustments.
Before promoting a holiday bestseller, confirm which system controls sellable inventory and how quickly changes reach the storefront. It’s also important to establish what happens when an inventory update fails; the connection needs a recovery process when information stops moving.
Build promotions around fulfillment capacity
Merchandising decisions change the work behind each order. A gift set assembled before peak can move through fulfillment differently from a bundle that requires individual components to be picked and packed after purchase.
When teams are able to launch promotions and merchandising changes in-house, that flexibility makes communication with the fulfillment provider essential whenever an offer changes the expected order profile.
“Late inputs are the most expensive thing you will send,” said John Servia, VP of Operations Excellence at Kase, in his peak season cost guidance. A total unit estimate alone cannot tell a warehouse how much labor a campaign requires.
Share promotion dates and the expected product mix before launch. Confirm whether gift sets can be assembled early and whether approved packaging fits the offer. When campaign timing changes, update the fulfillment plan immediately. Otherwise, the warehouse may have to recover through overtime or expedited processing.
Make checkout promises operationally realistic
Customers evaluate delivery options using the information available at checkout. A promise that overlooks warehouse processing time can set the wrong expectation before fulfillment even begins.
Adobe expects Cyber Week to generate $47.5 billion in online spending in 2026. Concentrated demand makes it essential to align customer messaging with the operation’s actual capacity.
Customizable checkout makes it easier to adapt the buying experience to a brand’s requirements. Ecommerce teams should work with fulfillment partners to define order cutoffs and identify when a growing backlog requires updated delivery messaging.
“The safest assumption is that parcel costs will remain elevated through peak,” said Sean Kim, VP of Parcel and Ecommerce Experience at Kase.
These costs deserve the same attention. Peak season surcharges can apply alongside other parcel fees, affecting the economics of shipping offers. Before advertising free expedited delivery, model the full shipping expense against the expected order mix. A credible delivery promise accounts for the time required to prepare the order and the carrier service available to move it.
Test the full order journey before traffic peaks
A test order should follow an order into the warehouse, verify that fulfillment instructions arrive correctly, and confirm that shipment information returns to the customer. “Systems and technology readiness should be validated before volume increases,” said Mike Venditti, Vice President of Fulfillment Operations at Kase.
To test, brands can take the following steps:
- Include a promotional bundle in testing. Missing component details or packaging instructions may remain invisible online while creating manual work on the warehouse floor.
- Repeat the exercise with an order cancellation and verify that reserved inventory becomes available again.
- Check how the customer service team sees an exception and communicates it to the shopper.
- Assign an owner for failed transfers and agree on escalation contacts before demand rises.
Connect the promise to the package
Peak success depends on the experience holding together from product discovery through delivery. In other words, purchase and post-purchase are a connected journey. Brands that bring campaign planning and warehouse preparation into the same conversation are better positioned for an excellent experience and better margin with every sale.
