Well, the predictions are in and according to Investor’s
Business Daily, Forrester Research, Inc. states that despite
concerns over consumer confidence and the impact of gas prices,
U.S. consumers will spend $18 billion online during this holiday
season [2005]. That's up 25% from 2004. If this predication
comes true, you’ll potentially have hordes of traffic
at your site starting right about... NOW!
Are you ready?
Of course you are. You’ve done your marketing, placed
your ads, stocked your shelves. What else could possibly
need to be done? Well, here are a few things most people
don’t think about. Be sure you give due attention to
them to ensure your holiday season is very merry.
Web Site Bandwidth
Many hosting companies place limits on your bandwidth or
file transfers. This is so they are able to have an accurate
idea of how much their servers will be put through. When
you reach or exceed your bandwidth with your host, one of
two things happens.
(1) They charge you an extra fee;
(2) They shut you down.
Neither option is good!
ACTION STEP 1
Be sure you have enough bandwidth to handle extra traffic
at this time of year. Check with your host. What happens
if you exceed your limit? It’s better to know now
and plan ahead than to find out the hard way.
ACTION STEP 2
Double-check your ordering process. Is it simple and easy?
Have you checked it? Have you had someone who’s unfamiliar
with it check it? The last thing you need during a holiday
rush is 50% of your visitors dumping out of your shopping
cart because they can’t figure out how to include
a gift card.
ACTION STEP 3
Speaking of gift cards... be sure you have a way to include
them with orders. Most purchases from now until December
25th will be for gifts. Your inability to include gift
cards with orders may very well knock out some of your
sales.
ACTION STEP 4
Double-check your follow-up mailings or confirmations. Are
they in place? Have they been tested? This includes order
confirmation notices, credit card purchase receipts, shipping
notice templates, autoresponder messages for backend sales,
and so on.
ACTION STEP 5
Place customer service information prominently on your site.
If customers hit a glitch, they’ll need someone to
call. If the shopping cart won’t cooperate, what
can customers do? If your customer service/support information
is clearly placed on your site, your customers can contact
you rather than choosing another site to buy from.
ACTION STEP 6
Verify all links on your site. Have you checked them lately?
You should! How awful would it be if the link to your new,
hot, oh-so-very-popular product had a typo in it? "Page
Cannot Be Found" is the song you’d be singing instead
of "Joy to the World."
ACTION STEP 7
Talk with your suppliers. Are they ready? Do they have enough
of their products to meet your expected demands? This is
not the time of year for backorders!
ACTION STEP 8
Set shipping deadlines. Calculate the exact date you’ll
have to stop promising delivery before Christmas then make
it crystal clear to your visitors. Nothing’s worse
than a ticked-off customer whose presents didn’t arrive
on time.
ACTION STEP 9
Verify shipper deadlines. Have you spoken with your local
shipper? Whether you’re using the postal service,
UPS, FedEx, or some other company, you’ll want to
contact them to find out THEIR "before Christmas" deadline.
While these may seem like small details, they can truly
cause some serious delays to your holiday shoppers (not to
mention damage to your bottom line). However, if you’re
prepared before the rush starts... if you give due attention
to the little details... you’ll find your Christmas
rush is a lot more pleasant and a lot more profitable!
Copyright 2005 Diane Hughes
Diane Hughes
http://ProBizTips.com
ATTENTION! I am giving away $2,446.13 worth of marketing
tools and products and over $5,010.64 worth of resale rights.
Demand is great and memberships are going fast!
http://www.madmarketer.com/diane
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