Amazon has issued an urgent warning to parents who want to see presents arrive in time for Christmas. 

The online retailer will encourage shoppers to order their Christmas four weeks early the big day amid supply chain disruptions.

In an internal document seen by The Independent, the retail giant is expected to ask customers to order as much as they can four weeks ahead of Christmas Eve.

The document says Prime customers, who pay for faster delivery, may also face delays with their orders.

The retail giant, among other businesses, is currently tackling disruption that continues to threaten global trade in the run-up to Christmas.

The UK’s HGV driver shortage, which has been heightened by rule changes to Britain’s post-Brexit immigration and tax rules, has left companies dealing with backlogs at shipping container ports.

The document highlights that even companies with money to invest into logistical solutions will still be caught out at queues at ports.

G7 leaders pledged on Wednesday to join forces in an attempt to address the problems that global trade is facing, and avoid any major disruption to post-pandemic economic recovery.

What is Amazon doing to tackle Christmas supply chain issues?

A person familiar with the retailer's operations said: “There’s an effort to shift the big push of orders that comes through ahead of mid-December earlier.

It’s hard to overestimate the level of supply disruption we’re facing, even with our resources. It’s going to be a long, quite painful road to a new normal and air freight can’t take all the strain off of other routes.”

The Amazon app and website will begin to advertise “shop early” banners, ahead of an email campaign that will attempt to ship the bulk of Christmas orders before December.

The end of November date is two weeks earlier than the retailers usual peak in the festive season.

Amazon has accounted for more than a third of the UK’s online retail activity in 2021, according to the company’s own internal estimates.

The company is hiring 20,000 temporary positions across the UK through the festive season to deal with the seasonal demand.