Major campaigns such as 9.9, 10.10, 11.11, 12.12, payday sales, and festive promotions can bring a large increase in orders.

While more sales are good for business, the sudden increase can also expose problems in your operations. Incorrect stock quantities may lead to overselling. Product listing errors can cause customer complaints. A slow packing process may result in late shipments and cancelled orders.

The best time to solve these problems is before the campaign starts.

Use this practical checklist to prepare your products, inventory, order processing, and fulfilment workflow before sales traffic increases.

1. Finalise Your Campaign Products and Offers

Start by creating a final list of products included in the campaign.

For each product, confirm:

1. Campaign price
2. Promotion period
3. Inventory quantity
4. Product variations
5. Bundle contents
6. Participating marketplaces and webstores
7. Expected order volume

Avoid making major changes at the last minute.

If you are selling product bundles, confirm that every item in each bundle has enough stock.

For example, selling 100 bundle sets that contain 1 uit of Product A and 2 units of Product B will require 100 units of Product A and 200 units of Product B.

Zetpy’s Product Bundle feature can automatically deduct the stock of individual items included in a Zetpy bundle. However, sellers should check their bundle setup before the campaign because bundles created directly on marketplaces may work differently.

Learn about Zetpy Product Bundle.

2. Perform a Inventory Check

Do not depend only on the stock quantity shown in your system.

Conduct a physical stock count for all campaign products. Compare the result with your inventory records and investigate any differences.

Common causes of stock differences include:

1. Damaged items that were not recorded
2. Returned orders that were not restocked
3. Stock reserved for physical stores
4. Unprocessed offline sales
5. Incorrect manual adjustments
6. Missing or duplicated SKUs

Pay special attention to your best-selling products. Even a small stock difference can create several oversold orders when sales increase.

Consider keeping a small stock buffer for popular products. This gives your team extra protection against damaged items, picking mistakes, exchanges, and unexpected stock differences.

For example, if you have 500 units in your warehouse, you may choose to make only 480 units available online and set 20 as reserve stock in Zetpy.

3. Keep Inventory Updated Across Every Sales Channel

When the stock shown online does not match the stock in your warehouse, it can create problems for both your team and your customers.

Your packing team may spend time looking for an item that is already out of stock. The order may then be delayed or cancelled, which can disappoint the customer and affect your marketplace performance.

For example, a product may sell out on Shopee but still appear available on Lazada or TikTok Shop. If a customer places an order on either channel, your team may not be able to fulfil it.

To reduce this risk:

1. Use the same SKU structure across all sales channels.
2. Record every item received, sold, returned, or damaged.
3. Update the stock quantity immediately after a manual adjustment.
4. Keep a small stock buffer for popular products.
5. Synchronise inventory across your connected sales channels.
6. Check your stock records regularly for unexpected changes.

Zetpy provides centralised inventory management for supported marketplaces and webstores. When an order comes in from a connected channel, Zetpy can deduct the inventory and update the available stock across your other connected channels.

Your team can also review stock movement records to check manual adjustments and stock deductions linked to orders. This helps you investigate stock differences and reduces the risk of overselling during a busy sales campaign.

Zetpy also provides a Bulk Stock Update function. Sellers can use an Excel template to update the quantities of multiple SKUs instead of changing each product individually.

Complete your main stock update several days before the campaign. This gives your team enough time to find incorrect product mappings, disconnected listings, or failed updates.

Explore Zetpy’s inventory and channel sync features or view the Bulk Stock Update guide.

4. Check Your SKUs and Product Listings

A stock keeping unit, or SKU, is the unique code used to identify a product or variation.

Every campaign product should have a clear and consistent SKU. Check that the correct SKU is connected across Shopee, Lazada, TikTok Shop, Shopify, WooCommerce, and any other channels you use.

Avoid using one SKU for several unrelated products. You should also avoid changing SKU codes during the campaign unless it is necessary.

SKUs are important when using Zetpy because they help the system match and synchronise products across connected channels.

After checking your SKUs, review the following information for every campaign product:

1. Product title
2. Description
3. Images and videos
4. Normal selling price
5. Variation names
6. Inventory quantity
7. Product dimensions and weight
8. Shipping options
9. Warranty information

Make sure every product variation is connected to the correct image, price, quantity, and SKU.

Zetpy allows sellers to manage product details centrally while setting different product name, images, and prices based on different supported sales channels. This helps your team update product information without repeatedly entering the same details.

See Zetpy’s product setup guide.

 

5. Prepare Your Order Processing Workflow

More orders will not help your business if your team cannot process them on time.

Create a clear process for your team to follow from the moment an order is received:

1. The order enters the system.
2. Payment and order status are checked.
3. A pick list is prepared.
4. Warehouse staff pick the products.
5. Another team member checks the items.
6. The products are packed and labelled.
7. The air waybill is printed and attached.
8. The parcel is handed to the courier.
9. The order status is updated.

Assign someone to each stage. If everyone assumes that another person is handling a task, orders can easily be missed.

Orders from supported connected marketplaces can be consolidated in Zetpy for processing. Depending on the channel and setup, sellers can filter orders and print documents such as air waybills, packing lists, pick lists, and carrier manifests.

6. Organise Your Warehouse and Packing Area

A well-organised packing area can save valuable time during a sales rush.

Before the campaign, prepare:

1. Boxes and courier bags
2. Tape and shipping labels
3. Bubble wrap or protective materials
4. Thermal printer paper
5. Promotional inserts
6. Free gifts
7. Spare printer supplies
8. A separate area for orders with problems

Place your best-selling products close to the packing area. Label every shelf clearly so that temporary staff can find each SKU.

You can also pre-pack products that do not require order-specific customisation. However, your team should always check the order details before sealing the parcel.

 

7. Prepare Your Team for More Orders

Estimate how many orders your current team can process in one day.

If the expected campaign volume is higher than your normal capacity, consider:

1. Adding temporary packing staff
2. Extending operating hours
3. Creating separate picking and packing teams
4. Assigning someone to handle failed orders
5. Assigning someone to monitor inventory
6. Preparing standard customer service replies
7. Training staff to handle more than one task

Give your team a simple process for reporting problems. Everyone should know whom to contact when they find a stock difference, incorrect address, payment issue, damaged product, or system error.

8. Check Your Accounting Workflow

Order processing does not end when a parcel leaves the warehouse.

A major campaign can also create more accounting and administrative work. Decide how your sales orders, invoices, fees, refunds, and stock movements will be recorded.

With the appropriate integration and setup, Zetpy can sync online orders to supported accounting systems such as AutoCount, Xero, and QuickBooks.

Before the campaign, confirm that:

1. Products are mapped correctly.
2. Customer and order information flows correctly.
3. Tax settings have been reviewed.
4. Refunds have a clear process.
5. Finance staff know when to check imported transactions.
6. Failed or incomplete records can be identified.

Always test your specific accounting workflow before the campaign begins.

9. Monitor Your Operations During the Campaign

Do not wait until the campaign ends to review your performance.

During the campaign, monitor:

1. Remaining stock for best-selling SKUs
2. Orders waiting to be processed
3. Orders approaching their ship-by dates
4. Cancelled orders
5. Failed inventory updates
6. Failed accounting syncs
7. Products with sudden sales increases
8. Customer questions and complaints
9. Courier pickup progress

Assign someone to check these areas at regular intervals.

If a product is selling faster than expected, decide whether to add stock, pause the listing, or stop the promotion.

Major Sales Campaign Checklist

One to Two Weeks Before

1. Finalise campaign products and prices.
2. Forecast your order volume.
3. Count your physical inventory.
4. Confirm campaign stock allocation.
5. Check SKUs and product mappings.
6. Review product listings.
7. Order enough packing materials.
8. Confirm courier capacity.
9. Plan staff duties and working hours.

 

Three to Five Days Before

1. Update stock quantities.
2. Organise the warehouse.
3. Brief your team.
4. Prepare customer service replies.

One Day Before

1. Perform a final stock check.
2. Confirm that campaign prices are correct.
3. Test printers.
4. Prepare packing stations.
5. Review staff responsibilities.
6. Avoid unnecessary system or SKU changes.

During the Campaign

1. Monitor inventory and incoming orders.
2. Process orders based on shipping deadlines.
3. Check failed updates.
4. Review fast-selling products.
5. Report stock problems immediately.
6. Track packing and courier capacity.
7. Keep customer service staff informed.

After the Campaign

1. Complete all pending orders.
2. Reconcile the remaining stock.
3. Review cancelled and oversold orders.
4. Check refunds and returns.
5. Confirm accounting records.
6. Record operational problems.
7. Improve your checklist for the next campaign.

Prepare Before the Orders Arrive

A successful campaign depends on more than advertising and discounts. Your inventory, product information, warehouse, order workflow, courier arrangements, and team must all be ready.

Zetpy helps omnichannel sellers manage product information, synchronise inventory, process connected marketplace orders, and connect selected POS and accounting systems.

With fewer manual updates, your team can spend more time fulfilling orders and helping customers.

Planning your next major sales campaign? Book a Zetpy demo to learn how centralised product, inventory, and order management can support your operations.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should sellers start preparing for a major campaign?

Start preparing at least one to two weeks before the campaign. Businesses with many products, warehouses, physical stores, or sales channels may need more time.

How can sellers reduce overselling?

Count your physical stock, use consistent SKUs, keep a suitable stock buffer, synchronise quantities across your sales channels, and monitor popular products during the campaign.

Which products should sellers check first?

Start with campaign products, best sellers, low-stock items, bundles, free gifts, and products shared between physical and online stores.

How can Zetpy help during a sales campaign?

Zetpy can help sellers centrally manage product information and inventory across supported channels. It can also consolidate connected online marketplace orders, support bulk stock updates, and integrate with selected POS and accounting systems. Available features depend on your sales channels, plugins, and system setup.