The year-end shopping season isn’t just busy for retailers. It’s when fulfillment centers face their biggest test of space, speed, and efficiency. According to the National Retail Federation, the November–December period accounts for nearly one-fifth of all annual retail sales. In some categories, such as toys and hobbies, that share climbs past 25%.
Thriving in this make-or-break season isn’t just a question of nailing the perfect promotions. More often, it’s about execution in the warehouse. During the 2024 holiday peak, 58% of supply chain leaders said they failed to meet delivery or order accuracy goals. Those kinds of misses can quickly turn the dream of a holiday boom into a nightmare of customer complaints, returns, and lost revenue.
For many operations, those struggles begin long before the rush even starts. As inbound shipments pile up and SKU counts spike, facilities run short on space, and efficiency grinds down. But the real limiting factor isn’t space, it’s sprawling storage design that leaves too much space unused. High-density storage systems let operators reclaim wasted cubic footage, streamline picking, and keep operations moving at peak efficiency through the holidays and beyond.
Warehouses must prepare for the holiday deluge long before the orders begin flooding in. In many cases, that means months of overcrowded shelves and space constraints. According to Prologis Research, warehouse utilization often climbs above 86% on average during peak periods, pushing many operations past the 85% efficiency threshold where congestion and slowdowns start to multiply. With inbound shipments stacking up and new seasonal SKUs arriving daily, even well-organized facilities can feel the strain.
That pressure is intensified by the fact that the shelves aren’t merely filling up with more of the same. Seasonal products, promotional bundles, and limited-edition variations expand SKU counts well past normal levels, while turnaround times shrink. At the same time, warehouses often rely on temporary labor to meet demand, bringing on workers who aren’t yet familiar with the layout or picking processes. Without clear organization, small inefficiencies quickly compound into lost productivity.
Expanding the building just for the holidays isn’t a realistic solution, especially with rising lease rates and construction costs. Instead, the smartest operators focus on optimizing the space they already have. That means tightening layouts, improving workflows, and adopting high-density storage solutions that set them up to store more SKUs in less space.
Many fulfillment centers are already making this shift. The global market for high-density storage systems was valued at $10.5 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow nearly 9% annually through 2033, according to Verified Market Reports. It’s clear that more operators are investing in space-efficient systems that can readily adapt to SKU variability and unpredictable peaks.
They’re getting clear payoffs in return for that investment. High-density storage brings SKUs closer to pickers, reduces walking and reaching, and eliminates the dead zones caused by fixed shelving and excess aisle space. Their modular design also supports re-slotting and SKU consolidation, allowing product assortments to adjust quickly without reconfiguring entire bays.
In other words, high-density storage turns static space into a flexible, high-performance asset that adapts with demand instead of working against it. It’s a perfect fit for navigating seasonal surges.
SpeedCell is a high-density storage solution that uses compact, suspended columns of durable cells to turn unused cubic space into active, organized inventory. By compressing up to 200’ of static shelving into just 40’ of high-capacity cells, it brings SKUs closer to pickers and maximizes capacity within your existing footprint.
SpeedCartt extends those efficiencies into mobile picking, giving workers an organized, ergonomic system that moves where it’s needed to meet demand. It’s a warehouse picking cart designed to help workers move quickly between zones and handle multiple orders without backtracking or confusion.
Together, SpeedCell and SpeedCartt create a faster, more organized operation ready for the pressure of holiday throughput:
These benefits aren’t theoretical. Real UNEX customers are reaping the rewards of these types of storage and picking solutions in peak season and beyond.
Consider Goodwill Industries of Central and Southern Indiana, which was running out of warehouse space in the face of rapid eCommerce growth. Shelves were stuffed with products of every shape and size, and employees were walking long distances just to stow or retrieve items. Expanding the building wasn’t an option, so the operations team focused on redesigning the layout for better space utilization and flow.
Working with Stac Material Handling, Goodwill analyzed its storage footprint and identified static shelving that left valuable cubic space unused. The team then turned to UNEX SpeedCell to convert that empty space into accessible, high-density storage.
Goodwill saw immediate results. By adding 1,806 SpeedCell locations across 13 bays, the company increased capacity by 30% while dramatically reducing the miles employees walked each day. Inventory was easier to locate and workflows became smoother, all without adding a single square foot of floor space.
Even if peak season is already underway, there’s still time to squeeze more efficiency out of your current setup. Small changes to layout, slotting, and flow can make a measurable difference in how quickly your team moves and how much product you can fit within your footprint.
Here are some simple steps you can take today to get the most from your space during the holidays:
These quick wins can relieve the immediate strain of peak operations and highlight where more permanent improvements are needed.
Once the holiday rush subsides, take what you’ve learned this season and use it to prepare early for the next one. The months after peak are the best time to assess where your layout, storage systems, and workflows fall short and make lasting changes before demand ramps up again.
Peak season might be temporary, but the gains from optimizing your space can last all year. High-density storage systems like SpeedCell and mobile picking carts like SpeedCartt help teams stay flexible, productive, and organized, whether during the busiest weeks of the year or the steady months that follow.
With the right combination of quick fixes today and strategic upgrades for tomorrow, you can turn the year’s busiest months into your biggest fulfillment wins. That momentum will carry you long after the holidays end. Contact UNEX today to future-proof your operations and stay ready for every season ahead.