“It has been crazy…we’re basically, going at our maximum through November. The catalysts this year have forced us to change dramatically.”
That’s how one business described this moment to us, and the exhaustion in it is familiar. Peak season rarely arrives quietly. It builds for weeks, then lands all at once, and by the time the volume hits, the supply chain decisions that determine how it goes have already been made.
We recently asked 150 businesses how they were preparing and what worried them most heading into the busiest stretch of the year. Their answers reveal an industry that has learned to respect peak and one that is already deep in the middle of it.
What businesses told us they fear most
When we asked businesses to name their biggest concerns, cost came out on top, with 47 percent pointing to rising shipping rates during peak. That’s a real pressure, and we won’t pretend otherwise. But the more revealing story sits just underneath it, in the concerns about whether freight will actually move the way it’s supposed to.
Reliability worries came in layers. A third of businesses (34 percent) named late or missed deliveries, 32 percent cited capacity constraints or a lack of carrier availability, and 29 percent worried about service consistency. These tend to travel together. When capacity tightens, service slips, and the promises made to end customers get harder to keep at the exact moment they matter most. As one business put it, they’re “securing additional equipment knowing dwells may increase.”
Beyond reliability, businesses flagged the disruptions they can’t control. Roughly a quarter cited weather delays (23 percent) and geopolitical disruptions (23 percent), while 21 percent worried their inventory wouldn’t be positioned correctly ahead of demand. The uncertainty is reshaping strategy in real ways.
One business told us that with rising geopolitical tensions, “we have branched out to develop our products in multiple countries so we are not having all our eggs in one basket.” Only 3 percent said they had no concerns at all. If you feel the pressure of the season, you are in good company.
“These numbers match what we hear from businesses every day,” says Abel Guillen at Amazon Supply Chain Services, who manages a team that works closely with businesses to move their goods via freight. “The businesses that come through peak strongest are the ones who see the pressure early and move on it. Preparation is what turns a hard season into a manageable one.”
Five strategies businesses are using to prepare
Here’s the encouraging part. Businesses are naming supply chain problems and also acting on them. The strategies that surfaced most often are ones any organization can put to work right now.
1. Forecast more often, not just more carefully: The most common preparation theme was planning and forecasting, cited by nearly a quarter of respondents. One business summed up the shift well: “We’re using more detailed sales forecasts and reviewing inventory weekly instead of monthly. Compared to previous years, we’re adjusting replenishment plans more frequently based on real-time demand.” Peak rewards the businesses that treat their forecast as a living document.
2. Move inventory before you need to: One in five businesses said they were stocking up and ordering early, positioning goods closer to demand well ahead of the rush. “Holiday and specialty items are being shipped approximately one month earlier than last year given delays during peak season,” one told us. For these businesses, ordering earlier creates an additional buffer when transportation networks tighten, giving teams more flexibility if delays emerge.
3. Secure capacity early, and give carriers a heads-up: For freight shipping needs, thirteen percent of businesses described locking in capacity ahead of time, often by “providing earlier forecasts to secure capacity and bringing product in earlier to prepare for any delays.” If capacity and reliability are your biggest worries, this is the single most direct lever you have.
4. Staff for the surge before the surge: Labor came up again and again, with 15 percent hiring seasonal help, scheduling overtime, or training new employees now. As one business explained, “We are hiring a couple of additional operators. We need to train now to ensure they are producing in the fourth quarter.” The businesses that wait until volume spikes are already behind.
5. Build in a backup: The best-prepared businesses assume something will go sideways and decide in advance what they’ll do when it does. That means mapping out the “what ifs” before the season peaks: a contingency for when capacity tightens, a plan for when a delivery slips, a fallback for when demand outruns the forecast. Having a backup plan ready is a simple form of supply chain risk management that pays for itself the first time the primary plan falls short.
The season is here. So is the opportunity.
Peak is demanding, but it isn’t unpredictable, and that’s the quiet advantage in this data. Every top concern businesses named has a preparation strategy already being used by their peers to meet it. You need to plan a little earlier, communicate a little sooner, and work closely with your transportation providers. Guillen sees that play out season after season. “The customers who treat us as consultants to help them optimize their shipments are the ones who end up happy and keep growing,” he says.
Peak preparation is becoming less about reacting to higher volume and more about building flexibility into the supply chain before demand arrives. That’s in the DNA of Amazon and it’s available to you through Amazon Supply Chain Services. If you want to see how Amazon Supply Chain Services can help you get through the holiday season, get started here.
