The holiday season is always a sprint for retailers. And just as a runner wouldn't run a marathon without training months beforehand, retailers need to have their e-commerce sites in tip-top shape long before going the distance this holiday season.
Every year, retailers are bombarded with news of the latest gadgets and gizmos that are "must-haves" to drive e-commerce revenue and customer loyalty. However, the real requirements are those features and functions that are in place and well-tested before the holiday rush.
Throughout the year, e-commerce retailers should test the basics during smaller-scale shopping events such as back-to-school. Viewing these opportunities as a warm-up means retailers can have strong plans in shape before customers give the site a power workout.
Most retailers know that strategy is key before the holidays. Unexpected issues will come up, but a strategic game plan based on proven, routine processes will create more time to deal with the unexpected.
Routine processes that should be defined well ahead of time include promotions such as free shipping, coupon offers and product pairings. Sites should choose and clearly explain predetermined cutoff dates for holiday deliveries.
Behind the scenes
A runner would not run a marathon in high heels and an overcoat, just as a retailer wouldn't launch a new site or features on the eve of Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) or Cyber Monday (the Monday immediately following Black Friday), two of the year's busiest shopping days. Retailers can lose sight of basic functionality during the holiday season because they're focusing on what customers are buying and what products need to be moved. So having the back end of the site in shape and knowing it has the ability to handle an increased traffic load can be lifesavers when the holiday rush starts to ramp up.
Also invisible to customers, but vitally important for the business, is to have a strong metrics system. If the site experiences any issues or anomalies during the season, it's helpful to review the site metrics to see what path visitors took and how the experience could be improved prior to the next high-traffic time period.
Channel integration
All systems need to be integrated, as well -- most notably for multichannel merchants. With a multichannel environment and the pervasiveness of Black Friday Web sites that list deals before they're physically in the hands of consumers, retailers should know which items are going to be moving and when. Once the ads are available online, competing retailers that offer the same items can make an educated guess at how their items might sell if priced comparatively.
Coordination between online and brick-and-mortar stores is crucial, more so than ever before, now that many merchants are offering "site to store" shipping options.
At the same time, retailers should be aware that online conversion rates have a high probability of decreasing during the holiday season. This doesn't mean that the Web site isn't doing what it's supposed to do. Rather, it means that many customers may be visiting the site only to view the in-store ad and to search for a nearby location -- not necessarily to shop online. Multichannel merchants can capitalize on these customers' interests by prominently displaying the store locator or offering a printable coupon for in-store use. Another option is to offer shoppers a printable shopping list to take to the store. This way, the Web site traffic can be tracked back to the physical store.
