It is understandable that many people running Ecommerce businesses want to take a deep breath after the madness of the holidays. There is a massive amount of work that goes into the preparation and execution for the big spending push every year at this time. However, just because the new year is upon us does not mean it is the time for rest. In fact, it is the opposite. If you want to be a player in the Ecommerce space, the post-holiday season is the time to set yourself up for success for the year to come. Here are a few quick tips to make this year more prosperous than the last.
Returns and Exchanges-
You probably went to great lengths to ensure your customers were dazzled with your beautiful, easy to order site and shopping cart for the busy season. However, come January 1st is the season of returns and exchanges. Have you taken the time to make sure your site is up to snuff in these areas?
There is no disputing returns and exchanges are a pain. They are inevitable. To stay relevant in the e-commerce arena it is equally important to impress your customers with this aspect of your site. Take this as an opportunity to impress your customers by showing them you are attentive and a detail-oriented. State your return and exchange policy in a clear, visible location that customers can’t miss. This is a simple way to avoid confusion and miscommunication- i.e. disgruntled customers.
Another way to convey you are both savvy and truly care about your customer’s experience is to incorporate a Live Chat feature on your site. This is your chance to showcase your customer service skills with friendly real-time assistance. For an extra personal touch, attach a photo or a live webcam showing the employee assisting them on the other end. Customers have a tendency to feel more at ease when they know assistance is readily available and may result in more shopping!
Launch A New Product-
Intice customers to spend their gift cards and holiday money on an exciting new product. Give consumers something to anticipate. Often times (with proper advertising) customers will hold off on buying large purchases or will give gift cards for an intended purchase if they know the latest and greatest is going to hit the market in January and February.
Learn and Reflect-
Take the time to review the data you have collected over the last couple of years. Collecting data only behooves your business if you take the initiative to do something with the information. Ask yourself, what was your biggest success and biggest failure of last year? What efforts can be made to avoid future failures? To do this you will need to roll up your sleeves and designate the time to pull reports, determine budgets, and identify new goals. These are tedious but necessary tasks that must be done to formulate a plan that will help make your goals attainable.
Pay Attention to Purchasing Patterns-
Use the data you have collected to identify purchasing patterns. Take the information and segment your contact lists based on what items your customers are purchasing. This allows you to push products and promotions based on items you already know they are interested in and address advertising accordingly.
This is also the time to evaluate the products that are selling well at full price, what is most popular when it goes on sale, and what doesn’t leave the shelf even on the clearance rack. Taking these steps will help you decide what products to keep selling and what needs to be replaced with something new.
Don’t Become Complacent-
Just because the holidays are over doesn’t mean your marketing efforts shouldn’t stay in full force. In the cyber world, staying current and relevant is key. Take down holiday-themed sites, update new policies, sales, and promotions. An easy way to stay with the times is to create a first of the year social media post. This is also a great way to communicate to customers what to expect from your business in the new year.
There is a lot that goes into running a successful Ecommerce business. Try to be mindful of these tips going forward and you will be setting yourself up for a booming new year!