Preparing,Your,Site,for,the,Ho ecommerce Preparing Your Site for the Holiday Rush
I will be answering three main questions in this Emerald Passport Review for all of the tenacious Entrepreneurs that are seeking the ideal Home Based Business Opportunity. Internet Marketing has seen some tremendous growth in the "work at ho Wood handles are used in tools due to their ability to provide a good grip when holding the tool. Unlike many other types of handles; wooded handles are easy to grip do not transfer heat and are not an electrical conductor. Therefore, making
Well, the predictions are in and according to Investors 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, youll potentially have hordes of traffic at your site starting right about... NOW!Are you ready?Of course you are. Youve 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 dont think about. Be sure you give due attention to them to ensure your holiday season is very merry.Web Site BandwidthMany 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 1Be 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? Its better to know now and plan ahead than to find out the hard way.ACTION STEP 2Double-check your ordering process. Is it simple and easy? Have you checked it? Have you had someone whos 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 cant figure out how to include a gift card.ACTION STEP 3Speaking 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 4Double-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 5Place customer service information prominently on your site. If customers hit a glitch, theyll need someone to call. If the shopping cart wont 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 6Verify 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 youd be singing instead of "Joy to the World."ACTION STEP 7Talk 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 8Set shipping deadlines. Calculate the exact date youll have to stop promising delivery before Christmas then make it crystal clear to your visitors. Nothings worse than a ticked-off customer whose presents didnt arrive on time.ACTION STEP 9Verify shipper deadlines. Have you spoken with your local shipper? Whether youre using the postal service, UPS, FedEx, or some other company, youll 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 youre prepared before the rush starts... if you give due attention to the little details... youll find your Christmas rush is a lot more pleasant and a lot more profitable!
Preparing,Your,Site,for,the,Ho