When December hits, holiday delivery pressure reaches a boiling point — demand spikes, traffic slows, and shelves need restocking faster than ever. For beverage distributors, retail suppliers, and logistics teams, the gap between a successful season and lost revenue often comes down to rerouting speed.

The Seasonal Supply Chain Pressure Cooker

During the holidays, delivery operations face extreme volatility. A snowstorm in the Midwest, a weekend e-commerce surge, or a driver calling out can disrupt your entire route network.

Most traditional routing systems can’t keep up. Territory changes often take weeks or months, relying on spreadsheets, tribal knowledge, and multiple approvals. By the time the new route is ready, peak season is already over.

The High Cost of Slow Reroutes

Every day without a revised route means:

• Extra miles and fuel costs

• More driver overtime and scheduling issues

• Empty shelves and missed sales during the highest-demand window

In categories like beverage or consumer packaged goods (CPG), missing a key account in December can mean permanent customer loss. Shoppers don’t wait — they buy from whoever is stocked.

What Faster Rerouting Looks Like

Modern delivery routing platforms — like Wise Systems’ Strategic Planner — cut reroute cycles from months to days. Instead of outdated manual processes, operators can:

• Integrate directly with Encompass or your ERP system

• Instantly visualize route workload across drivers and merchandisers

• Anchor priority stops like chain stores or promo accounts

• Run multiple “what-if” scenarios in minutes, then deploy the best plan

• Flex territories in real time, not post-mortem

Holiday Rerouting in Action

One distributor using Wise’s routing optimization tools reduced their territory redesign process from nearly 3 months to just 3 weeks. This allowed mid-season adjustments to protect top accounts, reduce overtime, and maximize peak-season ROI. Their finance team saw the value immediately — because the numbers told the story.

Why Holiday Rerouting Skills Matter Year-Round

The benefit of faster planning doesn’t end in December. Teams that master holiday routing agility are better equipped to:

• Handle sudden driver shortages

• Respond to unexpected fuel or labor costs

• Scale flexibly with demand fluctuations

The holidays expose every inefficiency. Faster rerouting turns that chaos into a competitive advantage — protecting revenue when it matters most, and building operational resilience for the year ahead.

Wise Systems powers AI-driven delivery planning, rerouting, and real-time optimization for the world’s most complex logistics networks. Learn how our Strategic Planner and Encompass integration help your team stay ahead — even in the toughest seasons.