Peak Season Prep: What To Know Before Sales Surge

The holiday rush offers huge upside: new customers, bigger baskets, more revenue. But it also brings its own risks: logistics headaches, website crashes, fraud, and unhappy buyers when promises aren’t kept.

This year, you don’t have to go into that rush unprepared. Think of “Peak Season Prep” as setting up guardrails and support systems so that when the sale wave comes, you ride it instead of getting washed over. Below, we’re breaking down practical steps you can take now (and early) so your holiday season is smoother, and more profitable, for both your business and your customers.

Forecast Early, Don’t Wait for Demand to Rise

You don’t want to be caught flat-footed when orders spill in. Forecasting early means you secure enough stock ahead of time and avoid overcommitting on inventory. For instance, Sunnies Face, has experienced repeated sell-outs of its Fluffmatte lipstick during early holiday promos because of understated demand.

What you can do:

• Look at your past sales data (year-over-year) and identify your top-selling SKUs in the holiday stretch.
• Build a demand buffer (e.g. 20–30%) for your bestsellers.
• Talk to suppliers early: lock in lead times, get commitments, negotiate flexible reorders.
• Run “pre-holiday promos” (e.g. early birds) to smooth demand over more months.

Build Flexibility into Logistics & Fulfillment

Because the Philippines is geographically fragmented, a late-season surge can break your delivery chains. A Cebu home décor brand, for example, shared that orders to Mindanao during peak season sometimes stretched to 5–7 days even as Luzon deliveries made 1–2 day turnarounds.

What you can do:

• Partner with multiple courier providers rather than relying on just one.
• Use fulfillment centers or 3PLs with regional warehouses (so you can dispatch from closer to the customer).
• Automate sorting and batch processing as much as possible.
• Communicate cut-off dates very clearly on your site.
• Monitor logistics capacity weekly; if one courier is overwhelmed, shift more volume to others.

Optimize Website Performance and Checkout Flow

You can have the best deals in town, but if your site is slow or your checkout is clunky, people will bail. In the Philippines, where a large share of shoppers use mobile devices, mobile site speed and a seamless checkout are nonnegotiable.

Take Sunnies Face again: their online launches generate sudden traffic spikes, and they invest heavily in mobile optimization so their site doesn’t crash and fans don’t lose out. Similarly, smaller fashion brands selling through Shopify or local platforms often complain that heavy images or scripts slow page loads just when visitors peak.

What you can do:

• Run load tests to see how your website behaves under heavy traffic.
• Optimize images, reduce heavy scripts, use a Content Delivery Network (CDN).
• Simplify checkout: minimize required fields, offer guest checkout, display clear error messages.
• Offer multiple payment options (credit/debit card, e-wallet, direct bank transfer, QR).
• Display accepted payment methods early (on product pages) to build trust.

Plan for Returns, Exchanges & Post-Holiday Handling

Having clear policy statements, pre-made workflows for returns, and perhaps absorbing some shipping costs where feasible can turn a potentially negative experience into a trust builder. If your policy is confusing or the process is slow, it frustrates customers and costs you goodwill. When local brands like Bayo plan their holiday campaigns, they also plan their post-holiday support (e.g. exchanges, returns) so they don’t get overwhelmed once the rush is over.

What you can do:

• Publish a clear holiday return / exchange policy on your site well in advance.
• Set up prepared workflows (e.g. return labels, inspection, restocking) so you’re not scrambling.
• Offer “exchange only” windows for peak season gift items.
• Consider absorbing shipping costs (or offering partial credit) for returns to improve trust.

Monitor Risk, Fraud & Chargebacks Proactively

Without fraud filters, the risk of chargebacks or losses is high; and without a solid detection system, you might find yourself losing money through chargebacks or fake orders. Wilcon Depot has spoken publicly about ramping up its e-commerce infrastructure to support a seamless and secure online shopping experience. Their shift toward omnichannel operations includes investing in integrated systems that can flag suspicious transactions or mismatches as part of their checkout flow. While they haven’t disclosed their exact fraud engine, their approach signals that even established retailers see fraud detection as a fundamental part of scaling online.

What you can do:

• Use fraud detection tools/rules to flag suspicious orders (e.g. mismatched addresses, high order values, first-time customers with big orders).
• Require additional verification (OTP, phone verification) for high-risk transactions.
• Keep good records (IP address, order metadata) to defend chargebacks.
• Monitor return patterns that might suggest abuse (e.g. same customer returning many high-value items).

Stay Communicative & Transparent with Customers

When delays happen during peak season, customers are far more forgiving if they’re kept in the loop. In the Philippines, this often means being proactive through channels like Facebook, SMS, or email. Big brands model this well: Jollibee regularly posts advisories when deliveries are disrupted by typhoons or heavy flooding, letting customers know which areas are affected and what delays to expect.  Similarly, Lazada issues public updates on social media during severe weather, warning of possible shipment delays and adjusting delivery timelines so shoppers aren’t left wondering. These examples show that even the biggest players know transparency builds trust.

What you can do:

• Add status pages or order tracking dashboards (so customers can see where their order is).
• Use automated email or SMS alerts for order confirmation, shipped, out-for-delivery, delayed.
• Enable chat or a help desk to handle common questions quickly.
• Publish cut-off, shipping deadlines, and service advisories (for remote areas) on your store homepage during holiday season.

Where does PayMongo fit into all this?

Peak season prep isn’t just about stock and shipping, it’s also about how smoothly you get paid. That’s where PayMongo comes in: helping you capture more sales, keeping them secure, and ensuring that cash is flowing when you need it most.

• More ways to pay: Accept cards, e-wallets, online banking, and QR payments so customers never drop off at checkout.
• Built-in fraud protection: PayMongo Protect helps block suspicious transactions before they become chargebacks.
• Faster access to funds: Instant settlement means you can reinvest in inventory and logistics while demand is high.
• Easy setup: Whether you’re using Shopify, WooCommerce, or custom sites, PayMongo’s plugins and APIs get you live fast.

If you haven’t yet, sign up for a free PayMongo account today to access multiple payment channels that can be especially valuable during your busiest stretch of the year.

The less friction and uncertainty your customers face, the more they can focus on what matters most: celebrations and memories. Let PayMongo be part of your support system in offering both you and your customers peace of mind during the holidays.