July 16, 2025
Peak Season Survival Guide: Managing Multiple Carriers During Black Friday 2025
Black Friday might bring record-breaking sales – but it also tests every part of your delivery operation. With volume surging and customer expectations at an all-time high, your carrier strategy can make or break your performance.
Here’s how to stay in control, deliver on time, and keep your margins healthy – using smart automation and carrier diversification.
Prepare for Volume Spikes With Carrier Redundancy
Relying on a single carrier during peak season is risky. Carriers hit capacity, SLAs slip, and parcels get delayed without warning. The most resilient brands go into Black Friday with multiple carriers active and pre-tested.
Tip: Use Voila to preconfigure fallback carriers by region, parcel size, or order value – so if one service slows, you automatically switch without needing manual intervention.
Use Carrier Performance Benchmarks to Make Better Decisions
Not all carriers perform the same under pressure. Some struggle with rural deliveries, others miss weekend windows, and some are consistently late during peak. Benchmark your carriers based on:
% of deliveries on time (especially during peak weeks)
Average transit time per region
SLA adherence by service type (Next day, Economy, International)
Voila lets you track all this in one place, with performance dashboards that reveal where issues are creeping in – before CS tickets pile up.
Set Up Automation Rules That Save the Day
Manual decisions won’t cut it when order volumes triple. Automation is essential for speed, accuracy, and cost control. With Voila, you can:
Auto-select the cheapest eligible carrier by weight, zone, and SLA
Route high-value orders to your most reliable service
Avoid carriers with known issues on specific postcodes
Apply buffer logic: if a service is at 90% of its daily limit, Voila can switch automatically to an alternative
Communicate Early and Proactively
Customer queries skyrocket during Black Friday – and most relate to delivery. Use Voila's tracking tools and notification options to keep customers informed with:
Live carrier updates
SMS/Email alerts on status changes or delays
The more visibility you give customers, the fewer "where is my order?" messages your support team has to field.
Final Thoughts
Black Friday doesn’t have to be chaos. With the right carrier mix, performance data, and automation rules in place, you can scale confidently and deliver on your promises, even at peak.
Want to stress-test your setup before the rush hits?
Book a demo with our team and get your carrier rules ready for Black Friday 2025 with Voila's shipping software.
