Discover how apparel brands are adopting a Total Cost of Ownership mindset during peak season by treating fulfillment as a key driver of profit and loyalty.
Turning Peak Season Chaos into Control
Fulfillment is having its moment in 2025. As influencer drops, haul culture and flash campaigns flood order queues, apparel brands are learning that packaging and fulfillment aren’t behind-the-scenes anymore. It’s where customer loyalty is won or lost.
Forward-thinking apparel leaders are viewing these areas through a Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) lens by recognizing that packaging choices, return rates and fulfillment efficiency all directly shape profitability and brand perception. To put that strategy into action, brands need to understand the forces reshaping fulfillment right now.
Let’s review five trends this 2025 peak season transforming the apparel fulfillment industry and what they mean for your operations.
1. Fulfillment Is Now Part of Your Brand
In 2025, every delivery has become a brand moment. From shipping speed to packaging consistency, customers see fulfillment quality as a direct reflection of the brand promise. When operations stumble, campaign investments and acquisition dollars are at risk. It’s no surprise that 90% of supply chain executives say their CEOs recognize logistics as a critical driver of customer loyalty and financial performance.
Brand Impact: Consistent packaging that fits your fulfillment operation, as well as your products, and protects your brand reputation—keeping customers coming back.
2. Haul Culture Causes Returns to Surge
Haul culture–where shoppers order multiple sizes or styles with the intention of returning most items–has directly fueled record-breaking returns. In peak periods, online apparel returns spike up to 50%, and now represent a $100B+ annual cost across the industry.
Brand Impact: While brands can’t eliminate haul culture, they can design for it. Durable, protective packaging and streamlined return workflows help minimize damage, control reverse logistics expenses and turn returns into a smoother experience that protects both customer loyalty and margins.
3. SKU Slimming Reshapes Right-Sizing Strategies
A defining trend for 2025 is SKU slimming, where brands reduce the number of available products to focus on high-performing hero items. Levi Strauss recently cut slow-moving styles to avoid markdowns, a move that lifted its operating margin from 1.5% to 7.5% year-over-year. This focused product strategy simplifies inventory management and reduces the waste caused by outdated or oversized packaging that takes up warehouse space, drives up shipping costs and slows throughput.
Brand Impact: Optimizing packaging dimensions and material use for a streamlined product mix cuts waste, frees up warehouse space, reduces shipping costs and preserves fulfillment speed by maximizing margins when every order counts.
4. Campaign Pressure Tests Fulfillment Agility
Seasonal drops, flash sales and limited-edition collaborations create instant surges in volume, with one mass merchant retailer reporting that 30% of its delivery customers are willing to pay extra for faster service. These moments test every link in the fulfillment chain, revealing whether systems can scale quickly and maintain accuracy. When packaging or workflows can’t scale quickly, brands face costly bottlenecks, delayed deliveries and missed campaign ROI.
Brand Impact: Scalable packaging workflows and predictive fulfillment planning maintain speed and accuracy during high-volume surges—helping brands capture full ROI and avoid costly bottlenecks.
5. Supply Chain Volatility Drives Flexibility Demands
Trade policy remains one of the biggest wild cards in apparel this year. Tariffs and sourcing shifts are forcing brands to rethink where and how they manufacture and fulfill. According to the U.S. Fashion Industry Association’s 2025 Benchmarking Study, 100% of fashion executives cite U.S. trade policy and tariff uncertainty as a top business concern, with over 70% saying higher tariffs have increased sourcing costs, squeezed margins and driven up consumer prices. Nearly half report declining sales, and 22% have already laid off employees due to tariff pressures.
Brand Impact: Partnering with local, flexible packaging suppliers helps offset global sourcing risk by reducing freight costs, shortening lead times and preserving operational agility when trade conditions shift.
What This Means for Apparel Leaders
Peak season 2025 is putting fulfillment strategies to the test for apparel brands. Leadership teams that understand the importance of a Total Cost of Ownership approach will rise to the top. By considering how packaging and operations influence customer trust, speed and profitability, their companies will be best positioned for success this peak season and long after the rush is over.
Contact a Pregis expert to explore how a TCO-driven approach to fulfillment can unlock new performance gains for your brand this peak season and every season after.
