“This is historically a very tough month for local etailers, as consumers leave their homes and offices and generally spend far less time online looking for deals,” explains Kevin Tucker, CEO of PriceCheck. “Yet there are certainly ways in which forward thinking etailers can harness the momentum gained from Black Friday week and maintain a steady stream of visitors to their websites.”
In addition to continuing to offer attractive deals and prices, great customer service is paramount, and should not be neglected during the festive season, regardless of staff taking leave and slower sales. An integral part of seamless customer service for etailers is ensuring that products are delivered on time, with the right packaging and contents that are not damaged.
“This is when third-party delivery companies are under extreme pressure and can often accidentally drop the ball – so it is critical for etailers to partner with service providers who can handle the festive season crunch and maintain top notch standards.”
With regards to the actual online experience for the end user, the Black Friday frenzy revealed that many local etailers pay minimal attention to their IT infrastructure and, more specifically, to their payment gateways. Several merchants experienced disastrous website crashes on Black Friday and many could not sufficiently handle the demand on the payment side.
“The lesson here is that brands and businesses should be continuously testing their websites and looking for ways to improve and streamline things like payment gateways,” says Tucker. “As with physical stores, the digital store also requires ongoing investment and attention.”
Local etailers are missing the big data opportunity, as global online retailers effectively leverage this relatively new boon for the number crunchers.
“An online retailer without data is just a website using a Magic 8 ball as a decision maker. Data uptake in South Africa is not as advanced as it is overseas. Using data to plan ahead of, for example, Black Friday, and realistically project is an absolute must for any online retailer. Measurement is now fundamental for brands and businesses in the digital sphere.”
In addition to big data, local etailers must stay abreast of the digital payment revolution. By paying close attention to the payment solutions their customers are adopting, etailers can ensure they retain loyal shoppers and more easily gain new ones.
Etailers must continue with their marketing and PR activities throughout December, with social media as a particularly important channel.
“In the silly season, people undoubtedly turn to social media more frequently to share their experiences and celebrations with friends and family. During this time, etailers should be participating in engaging and relevant conversations in the social sphere to display their human side,” he concludes.
