Even though we are coming up on what is often called the most wonderful time of the year, the next couple of months could be very stressful too. In the midst of all the planning, partying and preparing, a lot of shopping has to get done. Etailers should be completely ready to satisfy the hordes of time-pressed consumers who are going to opt for shopping online. When given the choice of going to a mall -- which includes parking, crowds, long lines and hired-for-the-holidays sales help -- or purchasing the same items while in a bathrobe and drinking hot chocolate at 2:00am, most consumers will choose the comforts of home.
Now, this is the part where you, the etailer, do everything you can to maintain the serenity of your bathrobed consumer. Pay close attention...
An ecommerce site that doesn''t work properly defeats the purpose of shopping convenience. There is virtually no difference in a customer''s stress level whether looking for a parking spot or wondering if an online order has just been processed. An important objective of an e-business is to make the total shopping experience stress-free and frustration-less. Happy customers are repeat customers.
Take time to test every aspect of your web store. Have friends, family and colleagues run the site through all the paces -- try every feature and function to ensure that everything is fully operational. Every step of the ordering process must run smoothly and securely. Whenever you add something to your site -- whether it''s back-end or front-end -- make sure that all other areas remain completely functional.
Now is the time to find out what needs to be fixed -- don''t wait until an angry, unfulfilled customer brings a problem to your attention.
Some helpful articles:
Getting Back to the Basics of Checkout Protocol
Putting an End to Dead Ends!
A Healthy Site is a Happy Site
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