Tips to cope with peak periods
Getting no orders would be a disaster. But, believe it or not, getting more orders than you can handle can be just as bad. For every order you can't fulfil, there's an unhappy customer who won't come back. And criticism travels further and faster than recommendation.
Whether it's a seasonal rush for Christmas presents or a post-promotional flurry, be prepared.
Make sure you can handle the traffic
Anticipating demand is vital. If you're selling products or services that traditionally have peaks and troughs during the year, you need to plan ahead - getting in more stocks and, perhaps, more people to cope with the extra processing. The same applies if you're running an advertising campaign or promoting your store through partner sites. Be prepared for a sudden burst of activity. Successes tend to get more successful, because it's so easy for people to spread the news by e-mail.
Make sure your e-commerce system is properly supported in the UK
Problems will occur at the least convenient moment! So, you'll always get an issue at your busiest time of year. It's the wrong time to be trying to telephone a developer who's asleep in San Diego. Work out your worst-case scenario and put your system to the test - and do it before you have to.
Make sure that you control the store
In peak periods, you can have a rush of new goods and they can go out of stock very quickly. You need to be able to respond quickly too. You don't necessarily want a web developer setting the priorities for what products are online. Only you really know your business. You may want to change prices to clear slow-moving stock, or to substitute products when you get alternative supplies.
You need to be able to add, modify and delete at any time - even late at night. So, your e-commerce software needs to be in your hands and under your control. That also means a bit of planning -the time to experiment with the software is when things are quiet.
Don't promise what you can't deliver
You need to make sure that your delivery methods can meet the customers' requirements. That means only offering shipping that will work. Over holiday periods, especially Christmas, make clear when is the last day you can deliver. Ideally, put this on the header or footer of every page in your online catalogue. Once the deadline's passed, change your message to make it clear that you're sorry, but orders can't be fulfilled in time.
Be proactive with your regular customers -forewarn them about delivery deadlines and give them a chance to get their orders in earlier. It's also an ideal way of encouraging them to shop with you again.
Customers are in a hurry
Shoppers are usually in a hurry. At Christmas, for example, you'll get those who buy in September and those who buy after the 20th December. Most Internet shoppers are in the latter category. When they come to your site, it needs to be well laid-out and all the links must work. Most of all, it must nave a lightning-fast search capability that can match both by category and by price range. Your e-commerce product must integrate the two: search engines may be fine for text-based searching but they're very poor when you want a gift for an eight-year-old girl that's under £25.
Set yourself some typical customer scenarios and test out the site for yourself - did you find what you wanted and did you find it quickly enough? |
