Valentine's Day: 6 tips for small businesses to avoid shipping losses

Driven by the search for gifts and experiences, Valentine's Day remains one of the most relevant dates for Brazilian retail.

In 2025, sales grew across the sector, with emphasis on e-commerce, which recorded a 7.1% increase in revenue between the 6th and 12th of June, above the 4.6% observed in physical retail, according to data from ICVA (Cielo Retail Index Expanded).

With the increase in order volume, the need for planning also grows to ensure that sales growth is accompanied by operational efficiency and profitability.

Issues related to logistics, inventory management, pricing, customer service and the use of technology are among the main challenges faced by small and medium-sized businesses during periods of high demand.

Bruno Tortorello, CEO of JadLog Geopost, one of the largest transport operators for e-commerce in the country, pays attention to the clear reverse logistics policy.

"With more sales, exchanges and returns also increase. Count on a carrier with national capillarity and a well-defined reverse [logistics] policy. This transmits confidence to the consumer and converts into more future sales", he says.

Gloria Porteiro, head of Shipping at Olist, an ecosystem of solutions for e-commerce and management of small and medium-sized companies, highlights that seasonal dates such as Valentine's Day represent a great sales opportunity, but they also require planning so that the increase in demand translates into positive results for the business.

According to the expert, logistics operations deserve special attention during this period.

"Commemorative dates increase the volume of orders and end up highlighting bottlenecks that often go unnoticed in routine. Selling more does not necessarily mean making more profit, especially when logistics costs are not fully mapped and controlled", he states.

AI advances in the financial market and investment decisions | MONEY REVIEW

To help entrepreneurs make better use of today's opportunities and avoid impacts on profitability, they also point out some practical recommendations:

- Know your real cost per order: It is essential to consider all the elements involved in delivery, such as shipping, weight, insurance and taxes, points out Porter;
- Work with multiple carriers: Comparing time and cost options allows you to find the best alternative for each shipment, also reinforces the executive;
- Delivery alternatives with varying prices and deadlines: Offer pickup at partner convenience points. This is a cheaper and more flexible option for those who cannot entertain at home. Different modalities increase sales conversion, reinforces Tortorello;
- Reduce operational errors: Processing errors generate extra costs with returns and redeliveries, warns Doorman;
- Clear delivery times at checkout: Indicate at checkout the deadline with guaranteed delivery by June 12th. Prioritize carriers with infrastructure, tracking and up to three free delivery attempts, says Tortorello;

With the advancement of e-commerce and consumers' growing demand for agility and transparency, preparing logistics operations before seasonal dates is no longer a differentiator and has become a basic condition for competing.

For small and medium-sized companies, adopting good shipping, reverse logistics and tracking practices can be the deciding factor between growing in financial health or seeing increased sales turn into losses.

Trends drive purchasing desire for more than half of Brazilians

Source: CNN