As an Ecommerce store owner, you know that no matter how hard you try, you will never please every customer. Some people will never be satisfied regardless of how much you cater to their needs. Regardless, as an e-tailer it is your responsibility to make your customer happy no matter what that entails.
Here are some best practices that will keep your ordering customers pleased:
Order Confirmation
Like clockwork, customers expect an order confirmation in their email inbox immediately after the purchase. If they don’t receive it asap, you may have a problem on your hands. Most Ecommerce stores are aware of the importance of the order confirmation and this functionality is built into many shopping carts.
Shipping Confirmations
The moment customers receive the order confirmation email, they will be on their toes fervently awaiting the shipment confirmation along with the tracking number. If they do not receive this information, you may have to fend with an irate customer.
Ensure your shopping cart has this functionality built in. Today’s online customers are used to the “star” treatment and they “expect what they expect” regardless of the vendor. Additionally, ordering online is somewhat scary for some customers especially if they are new to the process. They may wonder if the store is a scam and if they will receive the product once they divulge their credit card number. To them, a shipping confirmation means they are in safe hands.
Updated Inventory
Does this sound familiar? You get an email about an order and you go to place your order with the vendor only to find out it is backordered. Now you must explain to the customer why his order won’t arrive when you said it would.
This scenario is not uncommon especially for stores containing thousands of products. Keeping up with backordered or discontinued items can be difficult. But it is essential for customer service. Customers who are expecting a product at a certain time, yet do not receive it, will become disillusioned with your store and may even complain openly.
The solution? Implement an inventory tracking system. This may be easier for Ecommerce stores that sell their own products, but it is more difficult as a dropshipper because you are at the mercy of the vendor. And sometimes the vendor is not on top of publishing product changes. If your vendor is one of the problems with your inventory management, it may be time to look for another. However, if your vendor is on top of the changes, check the inventory daily or weekly at a minimum so it is always up to date.
Many vendors release weekly updates but it isn’t uncommon for products to go on backorder before the document is released. If you are having problems with customers complaining about inventory, a bi-weekly check may be in order.
The bottom line: Make your customer’s experience with your store as effortless as possible. From start to finish, do your best to go above and beyond your customers’ expectations, and when they have a problem, rectify it as soon as possible. A valuable ordering experience leads to repeat customers and referrals which drives Ecommerce businesses to success.
Image Credit: Kikashi