5 peak logistics periods to prepare for in 2025

The logistics industry is inherently cyclical, experiencing heightened demand and operational complexities during certain periods. By understanding these peak seasons, you can plan and prepare to ensure smooth business operations. In this article, we explore five peak periods in logistics in 2025, how they can impact your supply chains, and strategies to manage each peak season rush.

1. Chinese New Year (28 January–4 February 2025)

Chinese New Year (CNY) is the largest holiday in China, marked by a week-long official celebration. As one of the busiest logistics periods worldwide, CNY leads to temporary factory shutdowns and slowing production across various industries. The ripple effects are felt globally due to China’s prominence in manufacturing and exports.

Production typically begins to slow down as early as mid-January, with many factories closing entirely during the holiday period. Full operations often don’t resume until mid-February. This extensive break creates disruptions across the global supply chain, potentially causing delays and challenges in meeting consumer demands.

2. Summer holiday & back to school (July–August 2025)

The spring/summer holiday season in the northern hemisphere, combined with the back-to-school rush, brings another peak period. Retailers, especially in Europe and North America, ramp up inventory to meet inflated demand for seasonal goods, electronics, clothing, and school essentials, often increasing shipping volumes as well as freight rates.

Supply chains are stretched, as the demand for both short-cycle goods (like seasonal apparel) and long-cycle items (like electronics and school supplies) peaks simultaneously. This can strain capacity and lead to shipping delays, particularly for imports.

3. Golden Week (China, 1–7 October 2025)

Golden Week is one of the most important Chinese holidays, marking a surge in consumption as millions of Chinese citizens take time off to travel domestically and abroad. Like the Chinese New Year, many factories reduce their output or close entirely, disrupting production schedules and logistics operations.

This peak season is preceded by a rush in outbound shipping to fulfil pending orders. It is followed by a period of post-holiday backlogs, delays, capacity constraints, and increased freight rates, as the supply chain works to catch up.

4. Black Friday & Cyber Monday (28 November and 1 December 2025)

Black Friday and Cyber Monday mark the beginning of the holiday shopping season across the world — characterised by massive in-store sales (Black Friday) and online retail and e-commerce discounts (Cyber Monday). They bring one of the most intense surges in global shipping volumes, impacting both consumer goods and raw materials supply.

The logistical challenge is twofold: managing inventory for in-store purchases while ensuring timely deliveries for online orders, which can lead to supply chain bottlenecks and delays. This peak period affects carriers and logistics providers as they work to accommodate heightened shipping volumes, including last-minute deliveries and returns during the subsequent weeks.

5. End-of-year holiday season (Christmas and New Year)

The end-of-the-year holiday season represents another peak period in the global logistics landscape. Demand surges across industries for both consumer goods and supply replenishments. Retailers and e-commerce platforms prepare for the shopping boom, while businesses race to meet year-end inventory and sales targets.

Carriers experience high shipping volumes and require extra operational efforts to meet delivery timelines. As holiday shopping intensifies, so does the urgency for fast and reliable deliveries, both domestically and internationally. Coupled with the extreme winters in certain regions, this season is one of the most challenging periods for logistics professionals.

Note: While we have focused only on the five main peak logistics periods, it’s important to know that high demand may arise in specific industries, creating a ‘peak season’ for that niche. For example, agriculture sees a spike during harvest seasons. Understanding these industry-specific trends can help you prepare and adapt your logistics strategies accordingly.

Peak seasons in logistics: Common challenges and strategies

Each logistics peak season brings its own hurdles, yet their challenges remain consistent.

What happens during peak season in logistics?

During peak shipping seasons, companies face several operational pressures due to increased demand and the unique requirements of each period. Here’s what typically happens:

• Capacity constraints and shipping delays: With more shipments moving through the network, transportation modes like ocean and air freight often reach capacity. This results in delays as goods compete for limited space, especially in busy ports and freight hubs.
• Increased shipping costs: With carriers working at full capacity, peak season surcharges (PSS) and higher freight rates become standard. Businesses may find themselves paying premiums to secure space and ensure timely deliveries.
• Warehouse overflow and inventory management: Storage capacity is also pushed to its limits as companies stockpile goods in anticipation of demand. This leads to storage shortages, increased holding costs, and added pressure to move inventory out quickly.
• Shortages in labour and resources: Demand for skilled personnel rises during peak times, creating staffing challenges across warehousing, trucking, and shipping operations. This further slows down order processing and increases lead times.
• Strain on last-mile delivery: The surge in orders during peak seasons intensifies the demand for last-mile logistics. Carriers and delivery networks handle significantly more packages within shorter timeframes, leading to bottlenecks, higher transportation costs, and delays in the final delivery stage.

How to prepare your supply chain for peak season in logistics?

Planning and preparing for peak periods is crucial to maintain a steady and resilient supply chain. Here are some tips to help you handle common challenges during peak season:

1. Forecast demands accurately and plan your inventory: Leverage historical data, industry trends, and consumer behaviour insights to predict demand during peak times. Stock up on high-volume, high-demand items and prioritise essential goods to reduce the risk of shortages, ensuring high customer satisfaction.
2. Secure carrier space in advance: Plan ahead and book with carriers early to save costs and guarantee space. Competition for transportation increases during peak periods, so collaborating with your freight provider(s) ensures a smoother journey.
3. Diversify shipping routes and modes: To avoid congestion at major ports or hubs, explore alternative shipping routes or combine different modes (e.g. ocean, air, road, rail, and barge). Expanding your options helps you adapt to unexpected delays or bottlenecks.
4. Strengthen last-mile delivery plans: For B2C deliveries, consider partnering with local providers or extending delivery windows to handle high volumes. Offer real-time tracking options to improve customer communication and satisfaction.
5. Allocate buffer times and emergency budgets: Add additional time to your delivery estimates and set aside contingency ‘peak season’ funds. This prepares you for unexpected delays or cost surges without disrupting your operations.

How to build a resilient supply chain

While peak seasons pose a major challenge for the logistics industry, there are tried and tested ways to mitigate supply chain disruptions. With the right strategies and strong partnerships, you can meet these demands head-on, ensuring high customer satisfaction as well as continued operational efficiency.

As your partner, Maersk offers you truly integrated logistics solutions combining Ocean, Intermodal (truck/rail/barge) and Air, as needed. Explore our logistics solutions