DHL’s 2025 Peak Season approach includes more planning and less panic

Peak season used to feel like a mad dash, but DHL says the holidays don’t bring the same sense of chaos they once did. Thanks to years of planning, better forecasting, and rapid growth in robotics, the company is heading into the busiest stretch of the year with confidence instead of panic.

Kraig Foreman, who has spent nearly three decades at DHL and leads the company’s e-commerce solutions business, says the shift is clear. Retailers and logistics providers simply operate differently today.

“It’s not as much of an emotional roller coaster as it once was,” he said.

Foreman said the biggest change is the maturity of planning. Retailers now use better forecasting tools, understand promo timing more precisely, and prepare inventory earlier. That gives DHL a clearer picture of what’s coming. At the same time, DHL begins preparing for peak in January, with dedicated teams focused on staffing plans, equipment needs, analytics, and robotics.

That year-round prep also explains why peak season has stretched beyond Black Friday. Many brands are now using early sales to skim some volume off the traditional holiday surge. Consumers still concentrate most of their buying on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but the early start helps ease some of the pressure.

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