We all know about how the November and December holiday shopping season always leading to a profound uptick in the number of packages your residents receive. But that is not the only time of the year where a surge in package management at your property will occur. After evaluating our user data for the past decade, we have uncovered high-volume package trends that we wanted to ensure you were ready for. These seasonal shopping events may surprise you, but make no mistake, they mean more packages and carriers at your property.
After Holiday Sales
Once your residents get back from their holiday travel, and have finalized all their gift returns, end of year/new year sales begin. Often marked by sales developed to help retailers finish out the year strong, consumers are the winners in this shopping holiday. Many residents will use holiday gift cards or money from their returned presents to purchase those items they wished they had received instead. This shopping holiday provides the first package delivery surge of the year, which usually affects properties the first full week of Jan.
Super Bowl Sunday
The next shopping holiday is most often the week of the NFL Super Bowl. Residents often create watch parties, which need supplies – football themed napkins, bowls, plates, decorations, team apparel, etc., and of course larger TVs and sound equipment. Often ordered from more than one supplier, that means multiple package deliveries to your property.
Valentine’s Day
That oversized Vermont Teddy Bear isn’t going to drive itself to your significant other’s home. And neither is that sparkling necklace or whatever else you’ve ordered to make sure you’re the goat on the International Day of Love. While local floral and balloon deliveries may overwhelm your lobby on the actual day, package deliveries will definitely increase leading up to Heart Day.
100th Day of School
Yes, this is a thing and not something we made up. It’s mostly celebrated by younger students in late February, as schools have fun with the number 100. Many Pinterest-loving mothers are known to order craft items at this time, which can lead to a sneaky increase of packages in some circles. Often college mid-terms hit near this timeframe as well, so if you are student housing property, be on the lookout for an increase in care packages, study guides and food orders.
Memorial Day
Everyone wants to get away for Memorial Day. But it’s even better to leave town with that new tent, new fishing supplies, new tarps, and other camping accessories. Of course, if residents don’t leave, there is also the new grills and cookout supplies; but be on the lookout for mattresses and furniture from this common shopping holiday. Late May always leads to a package boom!
Independence Day
Yes, it’s illegal to ship fireworks by mail, so we’re not even going to go that route. But it’s also the heart of barbecue season and summer house parties, which leads to an uptick in online ordering of wide-ranging outdoor party supplies. As families convene, host homes don’t want to disappoint. While orders of kitchen and culinary supplies increase, families also commonly spruce up their homes to make a favorable impression on their visitors.
Amazon Prime Day
The monster online retailer held its first holiday exclusively for its own “Prime” members in July 2015, predictably resulting in an online ordering frenzy. 2016’s Prime Day, which Amazon touted as “one-day-only global shopping event,” was even bigger. Since its inception, Amazon Prime Day, has expanded to multiple days and leads to the biggest package delivery days outside the holiday shopping season! While the actual timing moves around based on the retail giant’s financial needs, one thing is for sure, this is definitely a hidden shopping holiday that all properties should be well staffed and prepared for!
Back to School
Mid- to late-August means back-to-school time, when parents prep their students with new school supplies, clothes, shoes, lunchboxes and more. This can create a sizable package rush, particularly for student housing communities. College students are continuing to seek alternative methods to purchase textbooks, such as sites like Chegg and eCampus, rather than buying them for full price on campus. Plus, more and more students are purchasing their entire apartment setup from retailers like IKEA and shipping it directly to the property, rather than moving used furniture from home. This oversized onslaught creates an especially challenging time for properties.
Labor Day
While Memorial Day unofficially signifies the beginning of summer, Labor Day serves as its end-of-summer counterpart. That means one last chance to escape the grind. It also means heavy discounts on outdoor merchandise as retailers look to make a push before camping season ends.
Pre-Halloween
While it’s a given that packages will arrive in droves during the month of December, this holiday can creep up on you. Some even call it a pseudo-holiday because no one ever gets the day off for Halloween but expect a full package room as people continually opt to purchase their costumes and decorations online.
Additional Package Influx Times
Other lesser-known times to watch for an increase in package management at your property also include:
- Season changes in the weather – especially Winter to Spring
- Localized sporting events – especially championships
- Mid-Terms and Finals in college towns
- Spring Break
Now that you know about these Top 10 Hidden Shopping Holidays, is your property prepared? One way to check for sure is to utilize our ROI Calculator. By inputting a few data points, you can quickly learn what your manual package management process is costing you.
If you already have an existing automated package management solution, check out these tips to maintain your system health.
By understanding the impact that online shopping and residential delivery has on your property, you can use technology, such as smart package locker and room systems, to neutralize the impact on staff and building operations…even when your residents treat every day like it’s a Black Friday shopping day.
