For fulfillment centers, Peak Season isn’t just busy, it’s chaotic by design. Order volume doesn’t just increase, it explodes. Complexity rises. Customer expectations skyrocket. And the room for error shrinks. Unlike Big Box stores or upstream distribution centers, fulfillment centers face the customer directly—every late shipment, every missed item, and every delayed return is felt in real time.

If you’re leading operations at a fulfillment center, now is the time to pressure test your process, lock in workforce support, and optimize for accuracy at scale. Here’s how to approach it.

Peak Season Traits: What Makes Fulfillment Centers Different

Fulfillment centers begin to see volume spikes by mid-November, peaking between Black Friday and Christmas Eve, and extending into January with returns and exchanges. Unlike bulk movement at distribution centers, fulfillment deals with thousands of small, personalized orders.

Key peak season traits:

High SKU complexity and velocity
High-volume picking, packing, sorting, and labeling
Increased demand for real-time inventory visibility
Returns and reverse logistics surge post-holiday

These operations are highly people- and process-dependent, with constant pressure to maintain speed without sacrificing accuracy.

The Unique Challenges Fulfillment Centers Face

Peak season challenges for fulfillment operations come fast and in layers:

Labor Shortages During Critical Weeks: It’s not just about bodies—it’s about having enough trained associates to operate scanners, navigate layouts, and meet accuracy benchmarks.
Error Rates That Hurt Customer Experience: One missed item or incorrect shipment during peak season can turn into a bad review, a lost customer, or worse—a social media firestorm.
Returns That Overwhelm the System: Reverse logistics piles on in January. If you’re not prepared, your already-fatigued team is left cleaning up the mess.
Employee Burnout: Long shifts, mandatory overtime, and high-pressure KPIs can lead to fatigue, disengagement, and turnover—right when you need your team most.

Strategies to Stay in Control During Peak

Operations leaders in high-performing fulfillment centers don’t just scale up—they build smarter systems that can absorb volume, stress, and last-minute surprises.

Design for Scalability Early

Is your layout flexible enough to handle overflow inventory or increased pick paths? Consider pre-setting temporary pack stations, buffer zones, or returns inspection areas before the rush hits.

Simplify Your Pick/Pack Process

Now is the time to optimize SKU placement, minimize travel time, and standardize pack materials and workflows. Every second counts—and consistency protects accuracy.

Cross-Train and Deploy Flex Teams

Your workforce should be able to flex between functions—picking, packing, returns, replenishment—on the fly. Cross-training in Q3 gives you that agility.

Get Returns-Ready in Advance

Design a reverse logistics plan now. Include inspection workflows, restocking strategies, and dedicated returns labor to avoid clogging your outbound operation.

Strengthen Floor Supervision

When volume surges, real-time oversight makes a difference. Supervisors need clear KPIs, quick escalation paths, and authority to make labor adjustments on the floor.

How iJility Helps Fulfillment Centers Win Peak Season

At iJility, we specialize in high-velocity fulfillment environments that demand accuracy, adaptability, and speed. Our workforce solutions are built around your operation’s unique flow, with labor that’s trained for both high-tech tools and high-touch tasks.

Here’s how we help fulfillment centers succeed during peak:

Early recruitment and onboarding to build workforce readiness before November
Custom cross-training programs to create role agility and reduce labor drag
On-site workforce leaders who manage performance, shift transitions, and productivity coaching
Returns-specific labor support in January to keep your outbound flow uninterrupted
Scalable labor models that flex as your order volume fluctuates

We don’t just send workers—we embed with your operation, learn your process, and support your managers in real time. That’s how you build a fulfillment workforce that doesn’t just survive Peak Season—it thrives.