Shipping across borders at peak: advice from Ilja Kukushkin, Boomerang Distribution

For a third-party logistics (3PL) provider, peak season starts weeks before Black Friday. Forecasts come in, warehouse capacity is reviewed, seasonal staff are arranged and carrier collections are planned.

We spoke to Ilja Kukushkin, Head of Sales and Business Development at Boomerang, a cross-border 3PL operating warehouses in Estonia and the Czech Republic. With experience handling fulfilment for small and mid-sized brands across Europe, as well as large-scale fashion returns for major retailers, Ilja sees both sides of peak: the outbound rush and the returns wave that follows. He shares six lessons for brands preparing for their busiest trading period.

Building a European fulfilment network

Boomerang was founded in Tallinn in 2004 by two Swedish entrepreneurs, initially as a commercial packing business. It moved into third-party logistics after its current CEO joined in 2014, with a customer base historically concentrated in Sweden and Finland.

Today, the business operates two distinct services. Its large-scale fashion returns operation serves major retailers, handling more than a million returns in some months. On the other hand, its 3PL service supports small and mid-sized brands with ecommerce fulfilment and returns management.

In 2021, Boomerang expanded into Pilsen in the Czech Republic, giving it a more central location from which to serve Germany and other Central European markets.

"We figured out that unfortunately Estonia is kind of on the outskirts of Europe. So we had to be central to serve Germany and all the Central European markets." — Ilja Kukushkin, Head of Sales and Business Development at Boomerang

It now operates three warehouses in Tallinn, serving Scandinavia and the Baltics, and two in the Czech Republic, covering the rest of Europe. Its focus is cross-border ecommerce, helping brands sell into several European markets from the right location. 

Peak planning starts earlier than you think

For Ilja, successful peak planning starts with two things: communication and forecasting.

"Forecasting is the essential part of a successful peak. The better we prepare, the better we can perform."

Boomerang begins collecting forecasts and speaking to customers in late August or early September. These early conversations establish whether each brand's supply chain is ready, whether stock will arrive in time and what order volumes the warehouse should prepare for.

Once forecasts are collected, the internal planning begins. This includes warehouse capacity, seasonal recruitment, extended shifts, additional working days, overtime and extra carrier collections.

Before peak, make sure you: send your 3PL a forecast before they have to chase you for one. Include expected weekly order volumes, promotion dates, planned product launches and your anticipated bestsellers. Update it as your plans develop. Our guide to inventory forecasting and safety stock shows how to build one.

1. Get stock moving before the rush

Ilja stresses that brands need to think beyond their warehouse when planning stock deliveries. During peak, every part of the supply chain is under pressure, from suppliers and freight operators to customs and final-mile carriers.

"The peak season is for everyone. It's for the carriers, it's for the customs. It's for pretty much everyone involved in the supply chain." 

A 3PL can have the people, space and processes in place to handle additional orders, but that doesn't guarantee stock will arrive on time. Carrier capacity, collection restrictions and customs clearance can all affect when goods reach the warehouse.

"We as a 3PL might perform super good, but there will still be some delays at customs or the carriers don't have the capacity, so there are limitations on pickups. It's a combined effort."

For brands importing goods into the EU from outside the region, customs clearance needs to be factored into the timeline too.

Before peak, make sure you: work back from your first big promotion date, allowing for supplier lead times, freight, customs clearance and your 3PL's receiving time. Then book your inbound deliveries and confirm any labelling or documentation requirements with the 3PL.

2. Test changes before peak begins

Ilja's first piece of advice for any brand, especially one facing its first peak, is to avoid anything new or untested once the busy season starts.

"Don't implement a new carrier, don't try new systems, don't switch to a new system, don't try a new marketing strategy. All these things have to be tested and tried before, but not during the peak season, because we have seen cases when everything went sideways."

A new carrier integration, warehouse system or checkout change introduces another variable into an already busy operation. Something that works at normal volumes may behave differently under pressure, leaving little time to identify and resolve issues before they affect order processing.

Before peak, make sure you: agree to a change freeze with your 3PL ahead of peak. Test any new systems, carriers, integrations and checkout changes well in advance, and make sure product data and order flows are working as expected before volumes increase.

3. Give your 3PL the full picture

Asked what separates brands that sail through peak from those heading for trouble, Ilja doesn't hesitate: communication.

"I always tell my customers that there is no such thing as too much information. We can always filter out what's important and what's not. But whatever information you have, you need to tell us."

He gives the example of a brand bringing its Black Friday sale forward by almost two weeks after a competitor announces an earlier promotion, without telling its 3PL.

"We arrived in the morning and there was a huge backlog. To catch up on the backlog is always much harder than maintaining a good SLA, even with higher volumes."

The same applies to an unexpected influencer campaign, TV appearance or newsletter that drives a sudden increase in orders. A spike can double volumes overnight, leaving the warehouse with a backlog that's much harder to clear than it would have been to prepare for.

Before peak, make sure you: share your full marketing calendar with your 3PL, including promotion start dates, influencer posts, newsletters and media appearances, and tell them straight away when anything changes. Our Black Friday checklist covers what else to agree.

4. Plan around your bestsellers 

Not all products need the same amount of warehouse space or attention. A small proportion of your range often accounts for a large share of your orders, making those products particularly important to peak planning.

"20% of your SKUs will generate 80% of the volume. It's quite consistent across different types of businesses. So it's always good to have these statistics, so you can be prepared."

If your 3PL knows which products are likely to sell fastest, it can position them in prime picking locations, closer to packing stations. Slower-moving products can be stored further away. That means less walking between picks and a more efficient operation when order volumes rise.

Before peak, make sure you:  share your expected bestsellers for peak, and ask your 3PL to reposition fast movers in the warehouse before the rush starts. Our guide to SKU rationalisation explains how to rank your range.

5. Understand how your 3PL staffs peak

How a 3PL organises its workforce can make a significant difference during peak. At Boomerang, temporary workers take on more straightforward tasks, such as picking and packing, while experienced team members handle work requiring greater system knowledge, including order processing.

But one of Boomerang's biggest advantages is its ability to move trained staff between departments.

"Our main strength compared to other 3PLs in this segment is cross-usage of staff between the companies and the different departments. 30% of all our staff members are multi-skilled, meaning they can work on different projects and in different departments."

Because the returns peak typically arrives a week or two after the outbound rush, employees from the returns operation can support outbound fulfilment first, before switching back as returns volumes increase. For brands, that means more of your peak orders are handled by people who already know the operation.

Before peak, make sure you: ask your 3PL how it uses temporary workers, what training they receive, which tasks they'll handle and how many experienced team members can support your account when volumes increase.

6. Learn from this year's numbers

The data you collect this peak is the starting point for next year's plan. Ilja picks out four measures:

• Daily order volumes: How demand changed throughout peak, and which days required the most warehouse capacity.

• Despatch performance: The percentage of orders dispatched within the agreed cut-off times.

• Delivery performance: How long parcels took to reach customers after leaving the warehouse.

• Return rates: What proportion of orders came back, which products were returned most often and when returns peaked.

A warehouse can meet every despatch target, but that doesn't guarantee parcels will reach customers on time. Tracking delivery performance separately helps brands distinguish between warehouse performance and carrier delays.

"We can deliver the best SLA possible, but if the carrier does not deliver, then that whole effort doesn't matter."

Before peak, make sure you: agree which KPIs you'll track with your 3PL throughout peak. Review the results together in January, looking at what went well, where capacity was stretched and what you can improve before the next busy season. Our guide to ecommerce returns management covers how to prepare for the returns wave.

Find a 3PL that plans peak with you

From a cross-border 3PL's side, a smooth peak comes down to early forecasts, stock that arrives in good time, no last-minute changes and a brand that shares absolutely everything. If you’re looking for a new fulfilment partner, compare 3PLs on fulfilment.com and get quotes from providers that plan peak with you, wherever your customers are.