“The holidays are coming! The holidays are coming!” You know it, we hear you, and November’s getting shorter by the day.
But even as we join the retail universe in the annual lemming-like plunge into the holiday season, a recent comment from a FastPivot retailer made us stop short at the edge of the cliff. When asked during our annual account survey “What do you know now that you wish you’d know last year?”, our customer, Fernando, replied without hesitation. “I know now that I need to use my online store to show shoppers how to shop online successfully…on my site and others.”
Fernando notices that consumers usually go straight to their favorite sites, even if those sites are more expensive than other sites with the same product. People are not well-versed about search engine or price comparison techniques—so they go with what they know. He’s convinced that a Guide to Finding Great Prices…for Dummies would be a best-seller of the holiday season.
According to Fernando, every online store needs to help shoppers learn how to research and evaluate these three internet retailing topics:
- Best Price: Help customers understand how to find good prices and “show that you’re not afraid to be compared,” he states.
- Good Business Practices: Show customers how you do business, and welcome questions. “Remind them they have a right to this service from every store,” he offers.
- Reputable Internet Seller: Be transparent, protect your customers as best you can, and “be vocal on your site that you care about their experience on your site,” he notes.
When it comes to best business practices, never forget that customer service leads the list. When customers call your 800 number to see what your service representatives know, make sure they leave with a list of questions to ask competitors—so that your helpfulness and unique product or service shines through. And when considering how to demonstrate that you are reputable internet seller, think about what builds credibility. For example, know how HackerSafe protects consumers and explain to customers why it matters that every site they use should have it.
Fernando uses his 800 number to do double duty with shoppers. Not only does he give shoppers a real-time customer service experience, but he also differentiates himself in an industry where most competitors don’t have 800 numbers. Moreover, his firm actually has real physical therapists paid at their regular rates to answer questions about the product and the company.
We think Fermando is onto something…and online retailers need to remember that after presentation and price, customer service and credibility are key factors in shopper’s decision to buy from your store. So here are FastPivot’s Top 3 Customer Service Fine Tune Priorities for the 2007 holiday season.
- Compare and contrast. Break out of your old routine and price check at least  three sites to compare prices on your desired item. (There’s a REASON the government requires at least 3 bids for every project.)
- It’s free…so CALL! For the more technical purchases, call the 800 number to see what the customer service representatives know or don’t. Talk to several people in person (and check them again info found on different search engines like Yahoo!, Google, MSN, and .
- What does credible mean? Learn what the credibility indicators you see on different sites are telling you—and how that really affects your shopping experience. Are you just looking at JPG badges or are you getting more value for your money?
Thinking like a shopper and showing customers how to find and evaluate the best retailers for their needs will not only help them in the short-term, but they’ll remember where they got good advice…and come back again and again for more. It starts an ongoing conversation that leads to a long-term relationship—and sales.
