Black Friday is one of the big players, if not the biggest, in the retail calendar. It marks the start of the holiday season and is the first event within the retail peak period – so it’s crucial that your retail business takes advantage and builds off the back of Black Friday’s success for the calendar year to come!
We all know that once the clocks go back, the days get shorter, and the wheels of the holiday machine start to pick up some speed hurtling towards the new year! That’s why it’s essential to make sure your integrated tech stack is bulletproof in preparation for that all-important day, November 26!
Challenge 1 – A Rock Solid Returns Process
Ever receive a present on Christmas day with the receipt still attached? In some cases, this may be a subtle attempt from the person who gave you the gift that your comment about them giving you socks last year did not go unheeded! For most of the time though, the inclusion of a receipt with the present is so you can return the gift if it is not suited. A standard practice in the age of eCommerce present giving, but there is an entire infrastructure of technology behind the returning of a product that makes it possible.
Ensuring a company’s return process is rock solid before the madness of the peak period is vital because, without a dedicated seasonal resource set up to deal with returns, a company could be faced with a whole host of issues if their returns process is not watertight. A customer’s negative experience of a business’ returns process can be enough for said customer to blacklist that business for good. Not only would that business be losing a returning customer, but it would also be left with a negative review which can have devastating consequences on your brand’s image! Long story short – get your returns process rock solid by fully integrating your tech stack!
Challenge 2 – On the Money Multiple Marketplaces
Nowadays, a company’s website isn’t the only place to sell its products or services. With the growth of niche marketplaces and the existence of marketplace giants such as Amazon, only selling on their own ground restricts profits and brand awareness. The internet gives people access to numerous marketplaces instantaneously, so the days of retailers spreading their resources too thin are over. Over the peak season, people will usually frequent different marketplaces for inspiration whilst looking at gifts to buy. Through the simple factor of a company including their products on a variety of marketplaces ensures a sense of passive brand marketing – passive being the easiest kind of marketing going!
If an eCommerce retailer is not utilising these marketplaces, the company runs the risk of shooting itself in the foot! One concern raised when discussing multiple marketplaces is how a retailer keeps track of their data produced over multiple marketplaces – especially when one can be a handful at the best of times! The answer lies within purpose-built solutions that exist to remove this worry. Solutions such as Linnworks help companies that use multiple marketplaces to connect, manage and automate their commerce operations across multiple online platforms in one dedicated resource that’s viewable through a reportable dashboard. So, what are you waiting for?! Don’t limit your company’s profitability this peak season!
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