You’ve built a solid business. Now it’s time to get it ready for peak season. Black Friday, year-end sales, and other high-volume shopping periods can put even the most established operations under pressure. Orders start coming in faster, from further afield — through online platforms, national retailers, and new stockists. Growth is here, but without the proper logistics in place, it can quickly turn into growing pains.
Many medium-sized businesses find themselves at this tipping point: successful regionally, but needing to scale nationally without overextending their teams or infrastructure. The solution? Smart logistics planning.
“We work with many businesses that are gearing up for peak season,” commented Ryan Gaines, CEO of City Logistics. “Often, they’ve outgrown their internal capacity and need flexible, scalable logistics support, including fleet, warehousing, and stock management, that still gives them visibility and control.”
Here are five logistics tips to help businesses handle peak demand with confidence:
From growing business to national contender
The moment usually arrives when weekly shipments start crossing provincial lines. Demand isn’t always predictable yet, but it’s growing rapidly. At this stage, a logistics provider could step in with its national network and shared-load service.
“Shared loads are ideal for businesses moving freight between major centres but who don’t yet need full trucks,” explained Gaines. “We consolidate their cargo with other clients’ freight. That way, they gain access to reliable, intercity movement without having to pay for space they’re not using.”
Establishing consistency at scale
Once national distribution becomes a regular requirement, consistency takes centre stage. Orders must arrive on time, in full, and with predictable lead times, especially when dealing with major retailers.
“In cases where businesses handle full loads for dedicated clients, we help them transition to dedicated intercity trucking. This means set routes, fixed schedules, and complete control over transit times. It also supports service-level agreements, because when a retailer gives you a delivery window, you want a partner who can reliably meet it.”
These predictable routes enable businesses to plan more effectively and minimise the risk of delays, particularly in countries where geography and infrastructure can vary significantly.
System integration for simpler operations
As businesses grow, so does the complexity of managing orders, stock, and deliveries. City Logistics has made tech integration a key part of its offerings, particularly for fast-moving industries such as retail, e-commerce, wholesale, automotive, and FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods).
Gaines noted that for warehousing clients, most integrate their ERP or order systems with City Logistics’ systems. Businesses can monitor order status and follow various deliveries from a central dashboard, creating a seamless flow of information from dispatch to delivery.
Bringing the last mile closer
Image by Drazen Zigic on Freepik
For both B2B (business-to-business) and B2C (business-to-consumer), that final stretch is crucial. “When an order is ready to leave the warehouse and it’s destined for the end customer, it’s handed over for last-mile delivery,” said Gaines. “It’s all integrated. The tracking doesn’t stop at dispatch; it continues through delivery.” While smaller parcels may follow a different route, City Logistics handles the bulk of large e-commerce deliveries directly.
For the crucial last mile, whether B2C e-commerce or B2B distribution deliveries, City Logistics integrates seamlessly with its sister company, Fastway Couriers, ensuring efficient final delivery to your customers. Orders destined for B2C or B2B last-mile delivery are automatically routed to Fastway Couriers, with tracking and proof-of-delivery updates fed back into the client’s system.
Whether the delivery is headed to a national retailer or a private customer who has placed an online order, these types of systems provide real-time updates and proof-of-delivery notifications, all of which are fed back into the same integrated platform.
For bulkier e-commerce deliveries, such as appliances and furniture, it’s worth partnering with teams that can also handle assembly and in-home setup where needed. This can make a big difference to the overall delivery experience.
“Our infrastructure is designed to support different types of movement, whether it’s scheduled retail deliveries, high-volume regional distribution or getting a single order to a customer’s door,” added Gaines. “The goal is to make the process efficient and reliable, regardless of the route or destination.”
Technology plays a key role in making that possible, with system integrations, real-time tracking and reporting tools supporting greater visibility across the chain.
More than cost savings, it’s a strategic advantage
Beyond saving money on first- and last-mile or warehousing space, the real benefit is what this setup unlocks: reliability, scalability, and professional service levels that medium enterprises often struggle to access. “Scheduled deliveries mean you’re not just reacting to orders, you’re planning around them,” remarked Gaines. “It helps optimise inventory, reduces stockouts, and strengthens relationships with retail partners. And that gives growing businesses a real edge.”
Scaling from a growing medium enterprise to a nationally established one isn’t easy. But with the right logistics strategy (and the right partner), it’s possible. “We always tell our clients: focus on your growth, and we’ll handle the movement,” concluded Gaines. “Because when your logistics are working, it shows everywhere your product lands.”
