Season: Managing Shipping Peaks with GLS
Like many industries, parcel shipping is subject to seasonal fluctuations. Parcel volumes increase significantly in certain months in particular, such as around Christmas or in spring. These peak periods are a challenge for shippers and logistics service providers alike. GLS ensures maximum flexibility and capacity so that your parcels arrive punctually and reliably, even with increased shipping volumes. Find out how we master seasonal challenges together and why the seasonal surcharge is a fair solution for a stable service.
Seasonal Shipping with GLS: Flexible. Reliable. On Time.
Whether it's seasonal goods, advertising campaigns or parcel and goods shipping at Christmas - with GLS you are ideally positioned even in times of high shipping volumes. We ensure your ability to deliver with flexible resources so that your customers are supplied on time. You can rely on a partner who is always at your side, even during seasonal fluctuations.
Understanding the Seasonal Surcharge
Seasonal fluctuations in shipping volumes are a well-known challenge in the logistics industry. Especially during the peak season in spring and autumn, additional personnel, vehicle and infrastructure capacity must be made available at short notice. Our aim at GLS always remains the same: to get your parcels to their destination quickly, safely and reliably - even when the volume of parcels skyrockets.
What is the Seasonal Surcharge?
The seasonal surcharge is a moderate additional fee applied during clearly defined seasonal periods to offset the increased logistical effort caused by seasonal shipping peaks. For business customers, this mainly provides planning security: even when parcel volumes rise sharply during the season, GLS ensures that sufficient capacities – whether additional staff, vehicles or sorting performance – are available.
This allows companies to guarantee timely deliveries to their customers without having to invest in short-term, expensive logistics solutions themselves. The seasonal surcharge helps maintain GLS’s high service quality even during peak times – a fair solution to ensure smooth shipping processes, especially when it matters most.
Shipping Peaks in the Parcel Industry
Whether Christmas shipping, seasonal promotions or special campaigns - typical peaks in parcel shipping can be planned, but still present companies with challenges every year. The period before Christmas and seasonal peaks in spring in particular lead to a sharp increase in shipping volumes, especially in e-commerce and retail.
Business customers should include these phases in their logistics planning at an early stage in order to keep supply chains stable and ensure customer satisfaction. Reasons for these peaks include traditional Christmas shipping as well as seasonal product offers or promotions such as Black Friday.
Spring Peak Season: 1 April to 31 May
In spring, parcel shipping is dominated by seasonal goods such as garden items, spring fashion or promotional goods for holidays such as Easter. The start of the outdoor season also ensures an increased shipping volume.
Autumn/Winter Peak Season: 1 October to 31 December
The main season in autumn and winter is characterised by parcel shipping for Christmas and winter goods. Gifts, electronics, fashion and seasonal decorations make up the majority of shipments in the winter season.
Managing Seasonal Shipping with GLS
Whether it's spring or winter: At GLS, we ensure that your parcels are delivered reliably even when volumes fluctuate greatly. Thanks to our flexible resource planning and additional capacities, you remain able to deliver - even during the peak season.
The seasonal surcharge enables us to distribute this additional work fairly and at the same time guarantee the high quality of service you expect from GLS. As a GLS business customer, you can also benefit from many other express services. This ensures that your parcel deliveries reach their destination safely and quickly, even during the high parcel volume season!
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