The businesses that perform best between October and December are rarely the ones that react fastest. They are the ones that planned earliest. Stock has to be ordered, shipped, cleared through customs and sitting in a warehouse before demand peaks, not while it is peaking. In this Insight, we look at the four areas that matter most when planning ahead: Black Friday readiness, peak season capacity, customs and warehousing.
Black Friday readiness: work backwards from the sale
The simplest way to plan for Black Friday is to start from the date your stock needs to be on the shelf and work backwards.
1. Sale date: when do you need stock available to sell?
2. Warehouse date: allow time to receive, check and put stock away.
3. Customs clearance: for goods from outside the EU, allow time for documentation and clearance.
4. Transit time: sea freight, airfreight or road, plus a buffer for peak-season delays.
5. Supplier lead time: production and dispatch, which often stretch in Q4. For many businesses, that exercise may reveal that the ideal shipping date is already close, or has passed. If that is you, the conversation shifts from “cheapest” to “fastest reliable option”. That decision is best made as early as possible, rather than when peak-season capacity is already under pressure.
Peak season planning: expect less capacity, not more
Peak season does not create logistics problems. It exposes them. From October to December, demand rises across airfreight, sea freight and courier networks at the same time. Capacity tightens, rates can rise and transit times become harder to predict. Many carriers also apply peak-season surcharges.
A good peak season plan covers:
• Volume forecasts for November and December, shared with your logistics partner early.
• Space bookings made in advance, especially for airfreight.
• Buffer time built into every lead time. • Supplier and carrier holiday closures across your key markets
• A fallback option for urgent shipments, agreed before you need it.
Customs planning: the first peak season under the new EU rules This is the first peak season since the EU changed the customs treatment of low-value e-commerce imports. Since 1 July 2026, the previous customs duty exemption for qualifying consignments up to €150 has been removed. A temporary €3 customs duty applies per item category, based on tariff classification, for affected low-value sale consignments until 1 July 2028, while the EU’s wider customs reform is implemented (European Commission, June 2026). For retailers and e-commerce businesses importing affected low-value consignments, the new rules can change landed costs and customs requirements. Customs planning, however, matters for every importer, whatever the value of the goods. Before peak season, check that:
• Every product has the correct commodity (HS) code.
• Commercial invoices are complete, with accurate descriptions and values.
• Any certificates, licences or origin documents are ready before the goods ship.
• You know who is responsible for duties and taxes at each stage.
During peak season, one missing document can hold a shipment at the border, and a shipment held at the border can mean missing the sales window entirely.
Warehousing and inventory: where your stock sits matters
Where your stock sits matters as much as when it arrives. Holding inventory locally in Malta, rather than relying on shipments arriving during the busiest weeks of the year, gives you far more control over peak season.
With stock already in a local warehouse, orders can be fulfilled as they come in, replenishment is faster, and the risk of empty shelves during key sales periods drops. Bringing stock in early also means it moves while capacity is still available and rates are more stable.
Your peak season checklist Before entering peak season, every business should be able to answer these five questions:
• ☐ Do we know our expected volumes for November and December?
• ☐ Have we confirmed supplier lead times and holiday closures?
• ☐ Is our customs documentation ready?
• ☐ Do we have warehouse space for buffer stock?
• ☐ What is our plan if something urgent goes wrong? If any answer is “not yet”, now is the time to address it.
Plan your peak season with SMS Logistics
From freight and customs to warehousing and distribution, SMS Logistics helps businesses in Malta plan ahead so their stock is in the right place before demand peaks. Contact our team to talk through your peak season plan.
