At the end of March, we brought together a panel of retailers to talk all things eCommerce. From lead times to shopping cart sales goals, the panel spoke to the many challenges and opportunities 2020 delivered, and how their experiences last year have shaped their current eCommerce strategy. The discussion was full of great insights and ideas. Missed the event? You can watch the complete video and read about our key takeaways below.
Here are seven of our favorite takeaways from the event:
- You need to have a dedicated eCommerce team – even if it’s just one person. If you want to be successful with your eCommerce business, you need to have an eCommerce team dedicated to your website, especially when it comes to managing web leads and providing customer service to your online shoppers.
- Set specific goals for your eCommerce business and team…but make sure both your in-store and online teams understand how each side of the business benefits the other. Joe Bright, of Dunk and Bright Furniture, outlined that their eCommerce team had their own sales goals, but they were also offered spiffs for transitioning customers to in-store salespeople who could more effectively serve their needs. For example, directing a more high-end customer to their design team, or a mattress shopper to their in-store mattress experts.
- Automate everything you can. Even with a team in place, managing your website takes a lot of time. Make the most of your team and your technology by looking for opportunities to automate important everyday tasks wherever possible. Data integrations to update your inventory online, select APIs to push your online orders directly into your POS, and automated reminders to respond to customer inquiries can save time and prevent errors.
- Increased web sales may mean an increase in returns. Try to minimize this up front by providing as much product information as possible, and answering customer questions quickly. The more info you can provide, the more confident a customer will be about their purchase – minimizing surprises when their purchase arrives. Regularly review your products online to see if there are additional dimensions, images, or features that can be added or highlighted to better represent a product.
- When it comes to lead times – both before and after purchase – communication and visibility is key. Nick Schumacher spoke to Suburban Furniture’s strategy of tagging any item on their website that isn’t in stock with an “Extended Lead Time” message. Taryn Kabei, of C.S. Wo & Sons, said that post-purchase, her team proactively provides updates to the customer about the status of their order. She also spoke to the importance of arming your online team with strategies to talk to customers about long lead times and provide product alternatives with quicker lead times.
- There is a price ceiling for online orders, but it’s nothing to be concerned about. Most of our panel agreed that while their online average is lower than in-store, that average is growing, and it shouldn’t limit what products you highlight online. Brendan Burke, of Sam Levitz Furniture, noted that offering finance options online and in the shopping cart leads to significantly higher cart totals.
- Most importantly – your website is what you put into it. Any step you take to improve your website can lead to greater eCommerce sales, but real growth is dependent on making the commitment to continually manage, evaluate, and adjust your eCommerce efforts.
Have questions? Email your client strategist to get started on any of the takeaways above.