Here’s how you can tighten up operations, boost visibility, and deliver great customer experiences as the festival draws near.

Operational Management

With shoppers rushing to complete their purchases, sellers need to move quickly yet efficiently behind the scenes. From inventory to fulfillment, every small operational adjustment can help prevent costly delays and keep customers happy.

Here’s how to fine-tune your operations before the Deepavali peak:

1. Finalise Inventory

Prioritise your top-selling items, these are the products most likely to sell out first. Update inventory counts across all sales channels, whether it’s your website, Shopee, Lazada, or TikTok Shop, to avoid overselling and disappointing customers.

If you sell seasonal or gift-oriented products, review your demand forecast and adjust stock accordingly. It’s better to move your resources toward items that are proven to sell well rather than sitting on leftover festive inventory after the season ends.

Tip: Use an inventory management system to sync quantities automatically across platforms and reduce manual errors.

2. Strengthen Logistics

During the festive season, buyers expect on-time and reliable delivery, especially when purchasing gifts. Coordinate closely with your courier partners or third-party logistics (3PL) providers to handle the extra parcel volume.

Review pickup schedules, expected delivery times, and backup courier options in case of delays. Within your operations team, simplify the workflow, for example, label parcels clearly, group similar orders together, and create a well-organised packing station to avoid confusion.

3. Prepare for Last-Minute Orders

Not every shopper plans ahead, many buyers will make their final purchases just days before the festival. To serve this group, offer fast shipping options, such as same-day, next-day, or express delivery. Highlight these options clearly on your product pages, banners, and social media so customers know they can still receive their items in time.

If you work with a marketplace, check if there are express logistics programs you can opt into (like Lazada Express or Shopee Xpress). For website sellers, consider partnering with local couriers that provide real-time tracking to reassure customers their orders are on the way.

4. Optimise Fulfillment

Deepavali’s high order volume can overwhelm even experienced sellers. Streamlining your fulfillment process keeps your operations running smoothly under pressure.

Start by pre-packing your bestsellers or popular bundles in advance, ideally using festive packaging that adds a seasonal touch. This saves time during rush hours and enhances the customer’s unboxing experience. If your team is short-staffed, bring in temporary helpers or schedule extra shifts to manage peak demand efficiently.
 

Marketing and Customer Communication

As Deepavali approaches, shoppers are making their final purchase decisions, often within just a few clicks. This is the moment when your marketing efforts need to create urgency, visibility, and connection. A strong marketing push in the days leading up to the festival can help you capture undecided buyers, remind existing customers to complete their orders, and reinforce your brand’s festive presence.

Here’s how you can make the most of the final stretch:

1. Create “Urgency” Promotions

When time is short, urgency drives action. Shoppers are more likely to complete their purchases when they feel they might miss out on a deal or delivery window. Launch final sale campaigns with attention-grabbing messages like “Last Chance to Buy”, “Final Day for Deepavali Delivery”, or “Festive Offers Ending Soon.”

If possible, pair urgency messaging with limited-time perks, such as free shipping for same-day orders or small free gifts for purchases above a certain amount. Even a modest incentive can push buyers to complete their orders before time runs out.

2. Launch Targeted Ads

At this stage, your goal is conversion. Late-stage shoppers already know what they want; they just need the right reminder. Run targeted campaigns on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok Ads, and Google, focusing on audiences that have interacted with your brand recently.

Retargeting ads help you reach shoppers who are on the fence, nudging them with tailored messages like “Your festive outfit is still waiting in your cart!” or “Order now for guaranteed Deepavali delivery.”

For marketplace sellers, use Shopee Ads, Lazada Sponsored Discovery, or TikTok Shop Ads to push your top products higher in search results during this final wave of festive traffic.

3. Schedule Final Email Blasts

As Deepavali nears, send a “last call” email series to highlight bestsellers, gift sets, or festive bundles. Use clear, action-driven subject lines like “Still Shopping for Deepavali?” or “Final Day for Guaranteed Delivery!” to catch attention. Within the email, include your shipping cutoff dates so customers know exactly how long they have to place an order for on-time delivery.

4. Decorate with Festive Visuals

Update your branding with festive visuals and motifs that create a warm, celebratory atmosphere. Use auspicious colors like red, gold, and maroon, combined with symbolic elements such as diyas, lotus flowers, or rangoli patterns. Apply these designs consistently across your website banners, marketplace store pages, product thumbnails, and social media covers for a cohesive seasonal look.
 

Customer Service Readiness

As sales ramp up and delivery deadlines get tighter, customer service becomes a critical part of the shopping experience. Managing this well not only prevents negative feedback but can also strengthen customer loyalty long after the festival ends.

Here’s how to ensure your support operations are ready:

1. Boost Support Staff

The closer it gets to the festive period, the more inquiries you can expect, from questions about product details and order tracking to last-minute delivery concerns. To keep up with the higher message volume, temporarily increase your support capacity. This could mean assigning additional team members to handle customer messages, outsourcing chat support during peak hours, or extending your service hours in the evenings or weekends.

For marketplace sellers, maintaining quick response times is especially important since metrics like chat response rate can affect your seller rating and visibility. For website sellers, consider enabling live chat widgets or chatbots that can handle basic FAQs automatically, freeing up your human agents for more complex cases.

2. Plan a Post-Sale Strategy

The customer journey doesn’t end once an order is delivered. In fact, the period right after Deepavali is a great opportunity to nurture long-term relationships. Start by sending thank-you emails to express appreciation for their purchase, followed by simple value-adding content like product care tips, styling ideas, or usage guides.

To encourage repeat sales, include a small incentive such as a discount code for their next order or early access to your next promotion. You can also segment your post-festival audience:

• First-time buyers: Send a welcome note and introduce your brand story.

• Returning customers: Reward loyalty with a special voucher or referral bonus.

• High-value buyers: Consider a personalised message or small thank-you gift to deepen engagement.

Power Your Festive Operations with BigSeller

Deepavali’s peak sales period can be as challenging as it is rewarding. From managing multiple storefronts to keeping up with orders and customer inquiries, efficiency becomes the key to maintaining both sales and service quality. Sellers who can stay organised and responsive during this busy time are the ones who turn festive demand into long-term growth.

BigSeller helps make that possible. Built for Southeast Asian e-commerce sellers, BigSeller is a free and highly automated ERP system that simplifies daily operations across multiple platforms. It centralises product listings, order processing, inventory tracking, and fulfillment, all in one dashboard. With real-time stock syncing, batch printing, overselling prevention, and automation tools, sellers can handle increased traffic smoothly and minimise costly mistakes.

Integrated with leading platforms like Shopee, Lazada, TikTok Shop, Shopify, and more, BigSeller provides the flexibility and control needed to scale effectively during high-demand seasons.

As you wrap up your Deepavali preparations, consider tools that help your business operate more efficiently, not just for the holidays, but every day.

Try BigSeller for free today and see how streamlined operations can help you manage, sell, and grow across all your sales channels.