Peak Season

From September to October, Descartes reported that U.S.-bound container import volumes increased 4.7%, coming in at 2,307,918 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEU), which it said was inconsistent with the Peak Season decline that traditionally starts in the August timeframe, while rising 3.9% annually.

On a recent media conference call hosted by Itsaca, Ill.-based third-party logistics (3PL) services provider and global freight forwarder SEKO Logistics, the company’s Chief Commercial Officer Brian Bourke addressed various aspects of complexity that has challenged supply chain stakeholders across various modes.

Quarterly revenue, at $21.1 billion, saw a 12.8% annual decrease, and adjusted earnings per share, at $1.57, were off 47.5%. Consolidated quarterly operating profit came in at $1.3 billion, which was off 48.7% annually on an adjusted basis.

Most holiday inventory is already in place, says NRF’s Matthew Shay, as retailers continue to monitor consumer trends.

Diversification and transparent pricing are among the tips AxleHire CEO Raj Ramanan suggests e-commerce shippers follow this holiday shipping season.

The Port of Los Angeles reported that total September volume, at 748,440 TEU, was up 5% annually, marking its second consecutive month of annual growth. The Port of Long Beach reported that September marked its highest-volume September on record, with volume at 829,429 TEU, increasing 11.8% annually, and topping the previous September high in 2020 by 78,849 TEU.

September’s shipment reading, at 1.163, fell 6.3% annually, and September expenditures, at 3.452, were off 25.4%.

DHL observed that in recent years, SMEs have been up against a whole host of challenges, including—pandemic-driven global supply chain disruptions and labor shortages; inflation; and shifts in consumer demand—all things that have forced U.S.-based SMEs “to adapt to and navigate the changing landscape throughout the year and especially during the holidays.”

Register now to stay ahead of the curve and ensure a successful peak season.

The ongoing push towards online shopping, which was accelerated through the pandemic, was evident in the report’s findings, with 60% of U.S. consumers, and 57% globally, indicating they plan to do most of their 2023 holiday shopping online, coupled with increasingly adopting omnichannel behaviors.

With an eye on the 2023 peak shipping season, the United States Postal Service (USPS) said it would not implement any additional surcharges on holiday shipping.

The USPS cited various investments it has made, in advance of the 2023 Peak Season, including: hiring 10,000 seasonal employees; utilizing 348 new package sorting machines; increasing daily processing capacity to approximately 70 million; moving 95% of volume via more reliable ground transportation, for First Class Mail and more than 95% of First-Class packages; and its new USPS Ground Advantage Shipping Service

Results indicate that retailers should flatten the peak season curve and look closely at offering slower delivery and more shopping holidays.

To get a better sense of how things are shaping up for the 2023 Peak Season, Newsroom Notes caught up with two industry experts, representing trucking and ocean cargo, respectively, to get a sense of where things currently stand.

In this podcast, Jeff Berman, Group News Editor for Logistics Management and the Peerless Media Supply Chain Group, interviews Glenn Koepke, GM, Network Collaboration, for Chicago-based FourKites, a provider of real-time tracking and visibility solutions across transportation modes and digital platforms.