It’s fair to say the world of e-Commerce has changed drastically in recent years. Of course, the Covid-19 outbreak had a huge impact on online sales, which rose to a record high 33.9% of all retail spending when the pandemic was at its peak in 2020.
And while physical stores have long since reopened, the average consumer still faces plenty of challenges. For example, the UK’s cost of living crisis and rising energy prices mean many are being forced to adjust their financial habits as they try to get by on a reduced expendable income.
All of which has a knock-on effect for retailers and could prompt a worrying trend – especially as we approach peak shopping and shipping season in 2022. So, if you’re an e-Commerce business, how can you ensure you’re ready for the busiest time of the year?
Review the previous peak season
While you need to look forward, the first move is to take a step back and remind yourself what happened during the same period in 2021. Even if things didn’t go entirely as you’d have liked, you can turn that into a positive by learning the lessons from those failures and putting plans in place to ensure history doesn’t repeat itself.
You can tackle this process yourself or you can call on external experts in design, development, integration and UX to help you identify areas for improvement. However you choose to do it, the important thing is that you adopt a critical mindset and treat it as an opportunity to have a strong finish to 2022.
For example, there may be some key performance areas that were not a priority 12 months ago but suddenly look set to become increasingly important. You need to be able to recognise those and adapt your strategy accordingly.
Some peak-season predictions to keep in mind
With inflation continuing to rise and showing little sign of slowing down, it could be that the average customer does their shopping earlier this year, in a bid to make a saving where they can. Although the traditionally busy periods – such as Black Friday and the lead-up to Christmas – are still likely to be hectic, you may start to see heightened levels of activity before then. So, you need to be ready!
And experts suggest that, among rising costs, the priority for many consumers will be loyalty to the brands they are familiar with. If they’re going to pay more for their products and services, they want a seamless experience and good value in return. Is your site in a position to deliver on both of those fronts?
Tips to ensure you’re ready
There are a number of steps you can take – and it’s important to bear in mind that what works for one business might not be right for yours. But it could prove prudent to make sure your inventory is fully stocked to satisfy the predicted early rush, because if you disappoint your customers at that stage then they may not return for the remainder of the peak season and beyond.
And in terms of providing a seamless experience, you ought to think about how you can best reward those customers who have proven most loyal to you. It could be in the form of discounts, promotions and offers or the promise of something to come in the new year, once the busy period has passed. Whatever you decide, your lead-up to peak season should centre around the old adage: fail to prepare, prepare to fail.
