Mastering eCommerce logistics during sales season
The January sales season marks the first major retail peak of the year and sets the tone for Q1 2026 performance across eCommerce. As consumers look for post-holiday discounts, customer demand strengthens again. For logistics teams, this creates a unique operational challenge: managing a new wave of outbound demand while simultaneously handling record levels of returns from the holiday period.
Why January sales create a unique logistics challenge
According to freight and logistics insights, the aftermath of the peak season period leaves many warehouses with backlogs, slower processing and fluctuating freight capacity. As retailers begin new sales campaigns, logistics networks must absorb new outbound flows before the backlog fully clears. This overlap creates operational pressure in:
- Carrier capacity, which dips temporarily after December but remains volatile.
- Warehouse workflows, slowed down by returns handling and post-peak rebalancing.
- Inventory availability, impacted by sell-through data from December and delayed restocking cycles.
Successful sales depend on preparation, scalability and intelligent logistics planning.
Market trends shaping eCommerce logistics
- Value‑driven shopping dominates. Rising inflation and tighter consumer budgets continue to push shoppers to seek deals. Retailers often compensate with more aggressive discounting and extended promotions, increasing demand spikes throughout the month.
- Sustainability as a delivery differentiator. Consumers in 2026 increasingly expect greener fulfilment options, with recyclable packaging and lower carbon delivery models becoming essential.
- AI-driven logistics and predictive delivery. AI has become an integral enabler of logistics optimisation. From warehouse management to forecasting, 2026 marks a year where AI empowers hyper accurate delivery estimates, automated inventory routing and real time demand planning.
Challenges for 2026
- Post‑peak inventory rebalancing. Many retailers face delayed restocking due to global supply chain pressures entering 2026, including labour shortages, extreme weather disruptions and regulatory shifts.
- High volume of returns and reverse logistics bottlenecks. Without robust processes, returns can congest warehouse flows, delay restocking and affect customer experience.
Best practices for managing eCommerce logistics
- Strengthen forecasting with post-holiday data. Analyse December’s sell-through and return rates to anticipate January demand patterns and avoid early stockouts or overstocking.
- Prioritise reverse logistics efficiency. Invest in clear return policies, automated processing, smart reintegration workflows and regional return hubs to keep January outbound flows steady.
- Build customer trust. Use real time data to improve estimated delivery dates, which remain a major driver of purchase confidence, particularly during high volume periods.
How Noatum Logistics eCommerce Solutions can help you
We support brands through every stage of the January peak by offering:
- Multicarrier and cross border delivery solutions.
- Advanced visibility and control through integrated technology.
- Highly efficient returns management.
- End-to‑end strategic support.
From forecasting and warehouse planning to cross-border compliance and sustainable packaging, our experts help you build a resilient and future-ready operations model!
Sources
https://www.gillards.com/insight/ecommerce-logistics-trends-2026-whats-next
https://www.knightfrank.co.uk/research/article/2025/12/european-logistics-outlook-2026
https://servicom.media/en/e-commerce-online-2026-how-the-european-market-is-changing
