How can an e-commerce business survive the holiday madness?

Audrey Reyes Published on October 13, 2019 Last updated on November 28, 2021

In less than a month, millions of Thanksgiving turkeys will grace banquets and signal the much-awaited Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping bonanzas.

With price slashes often too good to resist, bargain hunters are expected to flood every brick-and-mortar store and e-commerce business’ website. People will also be reaching out to brands’ customer service channels to seek assistance with their purchases, billing, and technical concerns.

Businesses must suit up to face the onslaught of shoppers on one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year.

Cyber Week in numbers

tiny shopping cart with packages on laptop on e-commerce website

In 2018, Black Friday brought in a record $6.2 billion in online revenues while Thanksgiving Day itself pulled in a hefty $3.7 billion. According to Adobe Analytics, Cyber Monday 2018 set bigger record-breaking earnings of $7.9 billion from e-commerce spending—a 19.3% increase from 2017.

Cyber Week statistics compiled by BigCommerce indicates that 53% of total Cyber Week orders came in from mobile channels such as smartphones and tablets. The online source usage was as follows: desktop (47%), mobile phones (45%), and tablet (8%), with web stores driving in more than 50% higher average order value than other sales channels, including branded e-commerce sites such as Amazon, eBay, and Facebook.

Horrors versus reality

If anything, these numbers don’t necessarily mean a big payday for every retailer. Black Friday horror stories aren’t urban legends; things can get vicious because bargain hunters are relentless.

e-commerce entrepreneur on phones in dark office

Expecting the unexpected will help brands prepare for the holiday sales—from website crashes and massive spikes in customer support queues to product supply failing to meet demands.

If brands don’t prepare, then they’re bound to fall flat. They risk losing multiple business opportunities, denting their credibility and reputation, and losing the customers’ trust. Brands need to beef up their practices, products, and processes to remain on top every year.

Be motivated by what your competition is doing right and take a closer look at your processes and customer base.

Here are some important things to do before Black Friday and Cyber Monday arrive.

happy e-commerce team looking at post it notes
  1. Make a list—and check it twice


    List down issues you predict may come up based on previous scenarios on your Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales.

  2. Study your customers


    Assess available data to determine common customer pain points, favored support channels, and other valuable details. When you listen to your customers, it’s easier to come up with useful solutions to fit their ever-changing needs.

  3. Survey the Cyber Week field


    Brands must always be on the lookout for what the customers are exploring. Ecommerce businesses can track and pull up the hits and searches they receive, enabling them to address potential server shutdowns due to heavy traffic or long customer service queues. Social listening and having a detailed understanding of your customer base can give you an approximation of what Cyber Week could drag to your front door.

  4. Amp up your defenses


    A few questions to ask yourself :

    • Do you have enough people to cater to your expected customer queues?
    • Can your customer service channels, ecommerce site, and app handle the influx of traffic?
    • Are you equipped to handle third party outages, such as your payment processors errors?

    If you have no concrete, data-backed responses for any of these questions, it s best to add a few more items on your Step 1 checklist.

  5. https://www.openaccessbpo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/diverse-customer-support-working-for-a-call-center-e-commerce-site.jpg
  6. Set expectations


    Marketing and promotions could go any direction, and brands may end up overselling and giving the customers unrealistic expectations. Always make sure you can readily provide what you promised, within reasonable means.

  7. Strengthen your first line of customer support defense


    Cascade information and changes effectively to all employees involved. When the right information reaches the appropriate people, they can serve customers better and increase satisfaction for your brand. Another way of reinforcing your customer support strategy is by setting up an auto-response system and template for live chat requests, phone calls.

  8. Reach out and outsource


    You don’t need to bear the full weight of Black Friday and Cyber Monday to consider outsourcing your customer service or back office solutions. When running an ecommerce business, you need all the help you can get from reputable partners who can see you through holiday shopping madness or sustain your already stellar reputation.

Join us on facebook
Open Access BPO 19 hours ago
Understanding your consumers' needs enables you to:
• improve the #CustomerExperience;
• earn customer loyalty;
• devise better marketing strategies;
• grow your demographic; and
• increase your revenues.

Here are 5 methods that can help your business have better knowledge of your customers' needs: https://buff.ly/3IWIQPC

----------
Partner only with an outsourcer with the expertise, resources, and manpower your brand needs: https://buff.ly/3PG8V9v

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerSupport #CustomerService
Open Access BPO 21 hours ago
𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫.

Our blog post provides you expert tips and strategies to help you handle these situations with empathy and professionalism.

Discover effective strategies and best practices to ensure your communication remains clear, respectful, and compassionate: https://buff.ly/3PzDMVm

----------
Deliver exceptional #CustomerExperience with our services to ensure #CustomerRetention and foster brand loyalty: https://buff.ly/49cyrdm

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerSupport #CX #CSat
#outsourcing #CustomerSatisfaction
Open Access BPO Yesterday
Your team embodies your brand to customers, from representing your values to delivering a top-notch experience.

That's why hiring those who match your brand's promise is a must. Otherwise, their inadequacies will misrepresent you as an unreliable company.

𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 #𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞:
https://buff.ly/3TSCwPJ

----------
Outsourcing with us today and get a team of dedicated experts for your business needs.
We develop programs from the ground up to ensure each process and solution matches with your brand’s needs and deeply addresses your customers' demands.

Contact us today and let our program developers know what your goals are, and we’ll help you get there: https://buff.ly/499VtSb

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerSupport #CallCenters
#CX #oustourcing #recruitment
Open Access BPO Yesterday
Unresolved #CustomerService issues cause repeat complaints, which can have severe consequences like:
• customer dissatisfaction;
• loss of sales opportunities;
• increase in #CX expenses; and
• a blow to your brand reputation.

Minimize repeat complaints and elevate #CustomerSatisfaction and loyalty with these invaluable #CustomerExperience tips:
https://buff.ly/4962400

----------
Heighten CX by partnering with the right industry expert: https://buff.ly/3Tx9aoC

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CSat #CustomerSupport
Open Access BPO 6 days ago
No matter how popular your brand is, losing customers is something you can't avoid.

But instead of panicking and worrying incessantly when your customers start leaving, face the situation with an open mind and learn: https://buff.ly/490iW8d

----------
Prevent customer churn with our smart #CustomerExperience solutions: https://buff.ly/3TK5Jfl

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerSatisfaction #CSat #CX
Open Access BPO 6 days ago
#𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐞-𝐭𝐨-𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞; 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭-𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞.
Happy customers become loyal customers, and they're more likely to spread the good word about your brand.

But if you want to keep your customers happy, you need to avoid these cardinal sins: https://buff.ly/3x8omB6

---------
Let's start building a #CustomerService program that addresses your needs head-on: https://buff.ly/3TLqV4U

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerSupport #CX
#CustomerExperience #CSat
Open Access BPO