Tackling the challenges of Easter egg logistics

Easter is a celebration of undeniable historical and religious significance around the globe, but for so many in the western world Easter is synonymous with one thing: chocolate.

The origins of the chocolate egg can be traced back to 19th century Europe, and it’s safe to say they’ve evolved to become a staple of the Easter festivities across the continent since.

In fact, according to Statista, Germany produces as much as 230 million chocolate bunnies every year and France spends more than €300 million on chocolate alone throughout the seasonal period. Meanwhile in the United Kingdom, Finder’s research found that consumers are willing to pay 68% more for egg-shaped chocolate over their standard bar counterparts of the same weight

It’s little wonder that chocolate retailers and manufacturers are looking to profit from the Easter season, but getting the logistics balance right to maximise revenue can be something of a challenge.

End-to-end balance

Easter eggs are, of course, seasonal products, which means consumer demand will fluctuate throughout the year and plummet at the end of the traditional three-day period. Retailers therefore face difficulties in accurately predicting the quantities and frequency of orders, while manufacturers have sourcing and transport challenges to overcome.

Being a relatively short period, the Easter product range normally isn’t produced inside the same factories as year-round chocolate and instead sourced from outside the usual network. This will have an impact on lead times to market and potentially affect the product age upon arrival – and as retailers typically only accept confectionary products with more than 70% of their 8-12-month shelf life left, it’s even more critical.

Product packaging itself is another way logistics service providers come into the picture with Easter eggs, helping manufacturers to overcome specific localisation challenges for markets through Europe. Value-added services cater to seasonality and geographical requirements such as artwork updates or indeed packing activities from within storage facilities, making sure all products are fit for their target region before clearance.

Warehouses serve an even greater purpose through the Easter period, too. As around 70% of the season’s product volume is purchased in the three weeks leading up to Easter Sunday (Grocery Trader), the majority of stock will be in storage for just three months before the season.

Retailers are stocking Easter eggs earlier and earlier in order to gain a competitive advantage, meet early consumer demand and avoid stock issues, but having products on the shelves for those all-important three weeks is the big priority.

So although the peak for buying is a short period of time, there is a undeniable need for vast storage solutions. If your logistics partner can provide strategic storage at regional consolidation hubs, you can keep inventory in one place and shift it across markets in line with consumer demand.

Not only can this maximise revenue in terms of consumer exposure and purchasing, but it also limits overstocking possibilities by continuing to serve a number of eager markets.