When Black Friday brings unprecedented order volume, ecommerce brands need fulfillment partners who thrive under pressure rather than buckle beneath it. This case study explores how strategic planning, process optimization, and skilled execution enabled Qualfon to break performance records while competitor facilities struggled to keep pace.
The Challenge
A premium cookware brand shipping from three separate fulfillment partners faced extraordinary peak season pressure that tested the limits of their entire supply chain network:
Extreme Volume Fluctuations: Daily order volume spiked up to 10 times normal levels beginning on Black Friday, with demand increasing so rapidly that forecasting accuracy and operational agility became critical success factors.
Multi-Partner Complexity: The brand relied on three distinct fulfillment operations, including their own facility, a competing 3PL, and Qualfon’s site, creating coordination challenges when volume overwhelmed capacity.
Non-Negotiable Deadlines: Peak season orders require perfect execution. Delays mean missed holidays, disappointed customers, and damaged brand reputation.
While such dramatic demand surges create bottlenecks across even the most sophisticated supply chains, the brand needed at least one partner who could maintain service levels when it mattered most.
Our Solution
Leveraging decades of fulfillment expertise, Qualfon’s team at our Landisville, PA facility created a comprehensive peak readiness strategy built on data-driven planning and operational excellence:
Predictive Forecasting and AI Analysis: Our Process Optimization Engineering Team (POET) combined the client’s projections with AI-powered analysis of historical data, examining patterns from previous peak seasons while accounting for current variables like inventory profile changes and planned promotional events. This multi-layered approach produced a more accurate capacity plan that prepared us for reality rather than optimistic projections.
Process and Workstation Optimization: The team identified traditional bottlenecks in the fulfillment process and redesigned workflows to eliminate constraints before peak volume arrived. Process mapping revealed where efficiency gains would deliver the greatest impact under high-volume conditions.
Strategic Labor Planning: Comprehensive training protocols enabled rapid associate onboarding without sacrificing quality or accuracy. The team focused on streamlined training that prepared new associates for peak intensity while maintaining the attention to detail that protects brand reputation.
Contingency Planning: Recognizing that peak season brings unexpected challenges, the team developed response protocols for scenarios like weather disruptions in the Northeast or sudden inventory shifts, ensuring adaptability when circumstances changed.
Execution Excellence
Our approach transformed planning into performance through disciplined daily management:
Volume-Driven Efficiency: Rather than viewing increased volume as a burden, the team leveraged higher-order flow to drive process efficiency gains, turning peak-season pressure into operational advantage.
Daily KPI Management: Real-time performance monitoring enabled immediate course corrections, ensuring service levels remained consistent even as order volume fluctuated dramatically day to day.
Collaborative Coordination: Constant communication between operations, workforce management, and quality assurance teams maintained alignment across all functions supporting the fulfillment operation.
The Results
While orders backed up at the client’s other two fulfillment locations, Qualfon’s operation remained fully current and absorbed the majority of national volume:
Record-Breaking Performance: The site’s previous single-day record stood at 4,400 orders shipped. During a six-day peak period, the team broke that record five times, demonstrating sustained excellence under extreme pressure.
Compressed Timeline Execution: We picked, packed, and shipped a typical month’s order volume in just three days, condensing 30 days of work into 72 hours without compromising accuracy or quality.
Year-Over-Year Growth: Within a 10-day period, we shipped 39% more orders than the same timeframe the previous year, proving our capacity planning and process optimization delivered measurable improvements.
Sole Partner Performance: Qualfon remained the only fulfillment location in the client’s network able to maintain service level expectations throughout the peak rush.
Beyond the Numbers
While metrics demonstrate operational success, the real value came from the brand’s confidence during their most critical revenue period. When their other fulfillment partners struggled, they could rely on Qualfon to keep customers satisfied and revenue flowing without interruption.
Our ability to absorb overflow volume from backed-up facilities meant the brand avoided the devastating customer experience impact of delayed holiday orders. Peak season success directly influences customer loyalty and repeat purchase behavior, making flawless execution during this window essential to long-term brand health.
"Success during peak season comes down to planning and using data strategically. We didn't just look at forecasts; our POET team used AI to analyze historical patterns while accounting for current variables like inventory changes and promotional events. We identified bottlenecks early, streamlined our training processes, and built contingency plans for scenarios like weather disruptions. Over-planning for success meant we could turn higher volume into greater efficiency rather than letting it overwhelm our operation."-Rob Hann, Site Director
How Qualfon Can Help Your Business
Qualfon is a global provider of omnichannel customer experience and business process outsourcing solutions. From call center support to lead generation to ecommerce fulfillment, we support our clients and their customers throughout the customer journey.
Learn more about Qualfon’s Fulfillment Solutions, including Amazon Prep Services such as Fulfilled by Merchant (FBM), Seller Fulfilled Prime (SFP), and Fulfilled By Amazon (FBA Prep) services.
