Seasonal fluctuations play an integral role in the warehousing and logistics industry. Regardless of what kinds of products you manage, demand is bound to change from month to month and season to season. From couples and singles on Valentine’s Day to summer vacation, back to school season and the traditional holiday shopping bonanza, nearly every industry falls prey to shifting demand. The 2019 holiday season is expected to see retail spending growth of 3.7 percent to $1.035 trillion, the highest on record. And Cyber Monday remains the busiest shopping day of the year.
To keep up with seasonal demand, your warehousing facility needs to stay flexible. Inventory will come and go as seasons change, but the size of your facility will stay the same. To stay flexible during this often-chaotic time of the year, you need to utilize containers that can keep up with changing demand without taking up too much room in your facility during the slowest months of the year.
Use these containers to keep up with the holiday rush.
Stackable Crates and Bins
Plastic totes and stackable crates are relatively inexpensive compared to other storage containers. They’re completely reusable and will hold up over time. Stacking bins are known for their versatility. You can use them to store all kinds of products, including consumer goods, food products and just about anything else you may need to send out for delivery. If your business takes on lots of different products from season to season, these containers won’t slow you down as you switch from one type of item to another. Regardless of what you need to store or ship during the busy season, stacking bins are a great option when it comes to keeping up with seasonal demand.
You can also stack them into one another when they’re not in use, so they won’t take up precious real estate in your facility during the slow season. To increase efficiency, you can also invest in color-coded totes and crates, which enables your team to quickly identify what’s inside of the container without reading the label or looking at what’s inside.
Collapsible Storage Containers
You can’t go wrong with collapsible storage containers when your business is subject to seasonal demand. Your team needs to roll with the punches as orders come flying in before grinding to a halt. Moving, sorting and storing products is so much easier when you have access to collapsible storage containers. It only takes a few minutes to deploy these containers, so you can quickly sort new items without having to assemble new containers. As the busy season starts to slow down, you can take unused containers out of rotation, fold them up and keep them out of the way.
Space can be tight during the busy season as more orders start coming through the door. Before you know it, you and your team will be swimming in inventory. Collapsible storage containers are great for maximizing warehouse space, meaning you and your team can move around the facility freely without running into a bunch of empty containers.
As you begin delivering goods to consumers or clients, collapsible storage containers will help you conserve space on your delivery vehicles. Once an order has been dropped off, you can collapse the container to make more room on the truck. This helps your team stay flexible in the field. If new orders pop up along their route, your team will have space for extra cargo by folding unused storage containers.
Wire Baskets
Just like plastic totes and collapsible storage containers, wire baskets were made for seasonal fluctuations. They generally come with wheels, which makes it easy to cart around products and containers for sorting and order fulfillment. Your employees will also be able to see through the container, so they can see what’s inside without having to open the containers. Most wire baskets are also collapsible and can be folded up when they’re not in use to save on space.
Final Thoughts
You don’t want to mess with cardboard boxes, disposable storage containers and containers that need to be assembled when products are flying in and out of your facility. Keep your facility flexible during the busy season with these collapsible and stackable storage containers.