APS Fulfillment, Inc. (www.APSFulfillment.com), one of the nation’s leading cost-effective fulfillment and integrated direct mail marketing companies, is weighing in on a report showing online sales this November and December are expected to climb as high as 15%. The company is also commenting on what online retailers need to know to make their fulfillment strategies run smoothly.

Where traditional brick-and-mortar sales are expected to increase just 3.9% year-over-year to $602.1 billion this November and December, online and mobile sales will continue to be an area of strong growth for retailers. According to Shop.org, a division of the National Retail Federation, the largest retail trade group in the U.S., online sales this holiday season are expected to increase 13% to 15% year-over-year. (Source: “NRF Forecasts Marginal Sales Gains This Holiday Season,” National Retail Federation web site, October 3, 2013; www.nrf.com/modules.php?name=News&op=viewlive&sp_id=1674.)

“Historically, Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, has been the kickoff to the holiday season, but a soft economic environment means many retailers will be offering strong pre-Black Friday sales,” says Charles Aultman, president of APS Fulfillment, Inc. “In fact, some Black Friday 2013 sales online started right after Halloween. On top of that, Black Friday is expected to expand well beyond just one day of sales, and could extend into early 2014.”

Online shopping has, in a short period of time, become an integral part of the American shopping experience, Aultman explains. For online retailers, stronger holiday sales will account for an increasingly large number of their annual sales.

“Unlike last year, there are only four weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. As a result, both online and brick-and-mortar retailers will be doing everything they can to maximize sales,” Aultman notes. “In the competitive world of e-commerce, accurately packed orders and fast shipping are two of the most important aspects of reliable fulfillment services. That’s why it’s imperative that retailers trust their reputation to a fulfillment services company that has a proven track record of not only getting customers what they ordered, but also getting it to them on time.”

APS Fulfillment, Inc. is one of the United States’ leading cost-effective fulfillment and integrated direct mail marketing companies, offering affordable and real-time fulfillment services to small, medium, and large companies. Its state-of-the-art technology provides turnkey solutions for high-volume perfect-match mailings, personalized direct mail, snap-pak mailers, postcards, and triple-tabbed booklets.

More information on APS Fulfillment, Inc. is available by visiting the firm’s web site at www.APSFulfillment.com or by calling 954-582-7450.