Peak trade and Click and Collect in a department store
Sector: department store retail · Period: November 2014 to March 2017 · Led by Julian Britain
A department store needed to manage its busiest trading periods and the introduction of Click & Collect without disrupting day-to-day service. Strong operational planning turned peak trade into the store’s best results.
A department store faced the annual challenge of Black Friday and the wider peak trading period, alongside the operational demands of introducing Click & Collect for the first time. Both required careful planning across staffing, stock flow and customer service at the same time.
Getting either wrong risked long queues, poor stock availability and a Click & Collect experience that damaged rather than supported the store’s reputation.
Staffing rotas and stock replenishment were planned in detail against expected footfall, with contingency built in for the periods of highest demand.
A dedicated Click & Collect process was designed and tested ahead of launch, covering order picking, storage and the collection point experience, so it could scale from a standing start.
Front line teams were briefed and coached ahead of peak trade, with clear ownership of each part of the process during the busiest days.
47%
Sales above forecast during Black Friday 2015
Duty manager
Progressed from seasonal cover into a permanent duty manager role
Selected
For the business’s talent development programme
- Plan peak trade staffing and stock together, not as separate exercises.
- Test a new customer journey, such as Click & Collect, at small scale before it has to carry full peak demand.
- Give front line teams clear ownership of specific parts of the process during the busiest days.
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The engagements below were led by founder Julian Britain.
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