Warehouse Prep for Campaign Season: 11.11 and Year-End in Turkey
Sertaç Erdoğan — Warehouse Manager · 2026-08-19
In Turkey, 11.11, seasonal sales, and New Year campaigns can multiply a normal week's order volume several times over. Brands usually talk about creatives and pricing; the real breaking point is in the warehouse, at courier cut-off times, and in the returns wave that follows the campaign.
For an Istanbul-based operation, that period means orders from Trendyol, Hepsiburada, and your own store hitting the same stock and the same cut-off at once. Without a plan, courier SLAs break first — then cancellations, poor ratings, and marketplace penalties follow.
Lock These In 6–8 Weeks Before the Campaign
- SKU-level stock and safety stock — know which products will lead the campaign and which warehouse locations will fill up
- Picking and packing capacity — shift plans, extra labour, and consumables (boxes, labels, void fill) must be locked weeks ahead, not on campaign night
- Courier cut-off times — same-day Istanbul and Anatolia-bound shipments have different last-handover times; those hours do not stretch on campaign night
Treat Marketplaces and Your Store as One Operation
The most common campaign failure we see is Trendyol stock living separately from website stock. One channel sells out while the other keeps selling — the result is cancellations and customer complaints. Stock should update in real time from a single panel, with reservation rules written in advance for campaign SKUs.
Don't Forget the Returns Wave
Seven to fourteen days after the campaign, return rates rise. If those boxes don't have a separate flow — inspection and put-away back to stock — the warehouse cannot make room for the next season. Returns are the second half of the campaign.
Campaign Discipline at RND
At our Istanbul fulfillment center we treat campaign periods as their own operating plan, not a busier version of a normal day: stock reservation, shift capacity, courier cut-offs, and a returns lane on one calendar. The brand scales the campaign; the warehouse is not left to improvise.