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[5 tips to prepare your e-commerce business for the 2019 shopping season] => 5 tips to prepare your e-commerce business for the 2019 shopping season
[Businesses wanting to cash in on the holiday shopping season need to learn how best to cope with demand without unnecessary disruptions.] => 想在耶誕節購物旺季賺進大把鈔票的企業，必須學習應付需求的最佳方法，別讓不必要的麻煩造成阻礙。
[When the clock struck midnight on Singles’ Day (November 11) in China last year, retailers and logistics providers put all hands on deck to process the 250,000 payment transactions that came through every second.
The annual holiday, created by e-commerce giant Alibaba to “celebrate" singlehood in China, has evolved into the world’s largest online shopping event, shattering its own sales record year after year.
The value of shopping transactions in the 2018 edition topped US$30.8 billion (€27.6 billion), dwarfing the sales generated from other popular online retail mega-events such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday in the West.
And that is often just the beginning of the lucrative year-end season, which culminates with the festive holiday shopping nearing Christmas.
For businesses aiming for a slice of the pie on Singles Day and the year-end holiday shopping season, knowing what to expect and how to cope with the influx of orders is critical. Here are five tips on how businesses can prepare in the lead up to the peak season.
1) Forecast demand and plan ahead
Looking at data collected in the past years can give indications of specific peak periods for the demand that a business is likely to face.
By mapping this out in advance, businesses will have ample time to put in place measures to plug the gaps that may arise with a hike in shipping activity.
This could include securing additional manpower to cope with the peak season volume and training them ahead of time to ensure familiarity with the processes.
Referencing historical data would also guide businesses in determining their inventory levels and identifying supplier alternatives — by geographies or product types, for instance — in the event of overwhelming demand.
2) Optimize website performance
A mere one-second delay in page loading could result in a 7 percent reduction in conversions, according to customer engagement automation platform KissMetrics.
If a website already loads slowly on a regular day, it may not have the right bandwidth and capacity to manage the higher traffic expected during the peak season. To prevent overloading, businesses should work on improving the page load time and responsiveness across all devices to deliver a seamless customer experience.
Conducting a stress test on the site simulating the increased web traffic should also be considered to ascertain that it can manage the influx of visitors without any difficulties.
3) Make shipping policies clear
The unexpected shipping charge that only appears at checkout could turn customers away from the business.
“A well-communicated shipping policy can help increase sales and reduce abandoned carts. Setting clear expectations with customers helps deliver a smooth checkout process and a world-class buyer experience,” said Arun Verma, Country Manager at Shopify Singapore.
A recent e-commerce survey revealed that up to 55 percent of shoppers would abandon their carts if they are suddenly presented with hidden charges that are not clearly communicated.
Shipping charges, duties or any other surcharges should be transparent and outlined to customers visiting the site, preferably in a prominent location on the page or even as a pop-up window. Any restrictions related to shipping to certain countries, or special handling involved, should also be specified to avoid confusion among shoppers.
4) Offer real-time, end-to-end shipment visibility
Several supply chain experts have cited shipment visibility as one of the key attributes consumers look out for during the busy holiday season.
The ability to track a shipment online and knowing if it would arrive on the scheduled delivery date is essential to raising customer satisfaction levels. Enabling the capability as a self-help function further reduces the number of inquiries and, in turn, minimizes extra costs for customer support.
“More online shoppers have come to expect greater transparency, convenience and speed. Having a shipment tracking function offers our customers better visibility in knowing when to expect their parcels during the busy peak season,” said Kiattichai Pitpreecha, Managing Director, Southeast Asia, DHL eCommerce Solutions.
Businesses also stand to gain as they can address issues promptly with a bird’s eye view of the order fulfillment process with the tracking function, hence improving service delivery standards.
5) Be ready for returns
The influx of returns generated by online shopping will be further amplified once the holiday shopping season comes to an end. That is when shoppers will return most of their unwanted gifts or clothes.
There are a few things for businesses to think about when managing returns. Providing a smooth returns experience is the priority as it serves as another opportunity for them to engage the customer. One way would be to add a return label with every delivered shipment, making it less of a hassle for the customer to make a return.
Managing returns has proven costly for large retailers and small businesses alike but, when done right, could yield positive results. For instance, online clothing and shoe retailer Zappos offers a free two-way shipping and return policy for customers to try out and return their shoes — the customers with the highest return rates turned out to be its most profitable.
Given the peak shopping season, extending the returns period may be another alternative to avoid stressing the business’ resources. What matters most is that businesses think through this in advance before the season officially begins.
] => 當去年中國「光棍節」（11月11日）凌晨時鐘響起時，零售商和物流供應商出動所有人力，處理每秒湧入的25萬筆付費交易。一年一度的光棍節是電商巨擘阿里巴巴為了「慶祝」中國單身族群而發明，現在已經發展成世界規模最大的網路購物活動，每年都刷新活動前一年創下的銷售記錄。
2018年光棍節的購物交易金額高達308億美元（276億歐元），超越其他高人氣大規模網路零售活動的業績，像是西方國家的黑色星期五（Black Friday）和網路星期一（Cyber Monday）。
但這通常只是年終賺錢旺季的起步而已，隨著耶誕節愈來愈接近，歡樂的購物旺季也將達到最高點。對於瞄準光棍節和年終耶誕購物旺季，準備瓜分獲利大餅的企業來說，了解訂單湧入時的狀況及因應方法極為重要。以下是企業備戰銷售旺季的5大秘訣。
1) 預估需求、提前計畫
研究去年收集的資料，可以為企業提供特定旺季需求的線索。
事先擬定計畫，企業就有充裕時間採行措施，改善購物活動高峰可能發生的問題。這些措施可能包括增加人手應付高峰旺季銷售，事先提供訓練確保他們熟悉流程。參考歷史資料也能協助企業決定庫存水準，以及在大量需求湧入時找到其他供應商—例如按照地理區或產品類別。
2) 最佳化網路效能
根據客戶參與自動化平台KissMetrics研究，網路頁面載入只要有一秒鐘延遲，轉換率就可能減少7%。
企業必須確保網站在訪客每次登入時，提供流暢的經驗。
如果平日網站的載入已經很慢，可能是頻寬和容量不當，無法管理預期旺季帶來的更高流量。為了避免超載，企業應該改善所有裝置的頁面載入及回應速度，提供順暢的客戶經驗。進行網站壓力測試，模擬網路流量增加的情況，確定網站能夠管理訪客的大量湧入，不會發生任何問題。
[caption id="attachment_4847" align="alignnone" width="1024"] {%CAPTION%}[/caption]
3) 訂定明確的貨運政策
結帳時才出現的意外運費，可能讓消費者遠離。
「良好溝通的貨運政策可以協助增加銷售，減少購物車的棄置。讓顧客有明確預期，可以提供更平順的結帳流程，以及世界級的買家經驗」，Shopify Singapore國家經理Arun Verma表示。最近一次電子商務調查顯示，如果網站突然出現未清楚傳達的隱藏費用，高達55%的購物者會放棄他們的購物車。
當顧客訪問網站時，運費、稅金或任何其他附加費用應該透明列出，最好是在網頁的醒目物這，或甚至以彈出視窗提醒。關於出貨至特定國家的限制，或相關特殊處理方式，也應該詳細說明以避免顧客困擾。
4) 提供即時、點對點的貨運能見度
多位供應鏈專家曾經提到，貨運能見度是消費者在忙碌購物季關注的關鍵條件之一。
貨件追蹤讓顧客知道包裹何時到達。網路追蹤貨件的能力，以及知道貨件會在預訂日期送達，對客戶滿意度的提升非常重要。讓這項能力成為自助式功能，將進一步減少顧客的詢問數，因此使客戶支援的額外成本最小化。「愈來愈多網路購物者期望更高水準的透明度、便利性和速度。貨件追蹤功能在忙碌的購物旺季提供顧客更好的能見度，讓他們知道包裹何時抵達」，DHL東南亞區電商解決方案總經理Kiattichai Pitpreecha表示。
企業如果能從高處俯瞰，利用追蹤功能立即解決訂單處理流程問題，就能進一步提高服務提供標準。
[caption id="attachment_4848" align="alignnone" width="1024"] {%CAPTION%}[/caption]
5) 做好退貨準備
網路購物引起的退貨狀況，會在購物旺季結束時進一步擴大。此時購物者會退回大部分他們不想要的禮物或衣服。在管理退貨時，企業有幾點應該考量。提供順暢的退貨經驗是優先要務，因為這提供企業再次與顧客互動的機會。方法之一是每次出貨時提供退貨標籤，減少顧客退貨時的麻煩。
對大型零售商及中小企業來說，退貨已經證實是高成本流程，但如果做對了，退貨也可能帶來正面結果。例如：網路服飾與鞋子零售商Zappos提供雙向免費運的退貨政策，讓消費者試穿之後退回—退貨率最高的顧客，其實是讓他們賺最多錢的客人。
對購物旺季而言，延長退貨期間可能是避免企業資源緊繃的另一種方法。對企業來說，最重要的是在旺季正式登場前，預先思考一遍整個流程。
[wysiwyg] => wysiwyg
[Businesses wanting to cash in on the holiday shopping season need to learn how best to cope with demand without unnecessary disruptions. When the clock struck midnight on Singles’ Day (November 11) in China last year, retailers and logistics providers put all hands on deck to process the 250,000 payment transactions that came through every second.
The annual holiday, created by e-commerce giant Alibaba to “celebrate” singlehood in China, has evolved into the world’s largest online shopping event, shattering its own sales record year after year.
The value of shopping transactions in the 2018 edition topped US$30.8 billion (€27.6 billion), dwarfing the sales generated from other popular online retail mega-events such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday in the West.
And that is often just the beginning of the lucrative year-end season, which culminates with the festive holiday shopping nearing Christmas.
For businesses aiming for a slice of the pie on Singles Day and the year-end holiday shopping season, knowing what to expect and how to cope with the influx of orders is critical. Here are five tips on how businesses can prepare in the lead up to the peak season.
1) Forecast demand and plan ahead
Looking at data collected in the past years can give indications of specific peak periods for the demand that a business is likely to face.
By mapping this out in advance, businesses will have ample time to put in place measures to plug the gaps that may arise with a hike in shipping activity.
This could include securing additional manpower to cope with the peak season volume and training them ahead of time to ensure familiarity with the processes.
Referencing historical data would also guide businesses in determining their inventory levels and identifying supplier alternatives — by geographies or product types, for instance — in the event of overwhelming demand.
2) Optimize website performance
A mere one-second delay in page loading could result in a 7 percent reduction in conversions, according to customer engagement automation platform KissMetrics.
Businesses must ensure that their websites are capable of delivering a seamless experience for visitors at any time.
If a website already loads slowly on a regular day, it may not have the right bandwidth and capacity to manage the higher traffic expected during the peak season. To prevent overloading, businesses should work on improving the page load time and responsiveness across all devices to deliver a seamless customer experience.
Conducting a stress test on the site simulating the increased web traffic should also be considered to ascertain that it can manage the influx of visitors without any difficulties.
3) Make shipping policies clear
The unexpected shipping charge that only appears at checkout could turn customers away from the business.
“A well-communicated shipping policy can help increase sales and reduce abandoned carts. Setting clear expectations with customers helps deliver a smooth checkout process and a world-class buyer experience,” said Arun Verma, Country Manager at Shopify Singapore.
A recent e-commerce survey revealed that up to 55 percent of shoppers would abandon their carts if they are suddenly presented with hidden charges that are not clearly communicated.
Shipping charges, duties or any other surcharges should be transparent and outlined to customers visiting the site, preferably in a prominent location on the page or even as a pop-up window. Any restrictions related to shipping to certain countries, or special handling involved, should also be specified to avoid confusion among shoppers.
4) Offer real-time, end-to-end shipment visibility
Several supply chain experts have cited shipment visibility as one of the key attributes consumers look out for during the busy holiday season.
Shipment tracking allows customers to know when to expect their parcels.
The ability to track a shipment online and knowing if it would arrive on the scheduled delivery date is essential to raising customer satisfaction levels. Enabling the capability as a self-help function further reduces the number of inquiries and, in turn, minimizes extra costs for customer support.
“More online shoppers have come to expect greater transparency, convenience and speed. Having a shipment tracking function offers our customers better visibility in knowing when to expect their parcels during the busy peak season,” said Kiattichai Pitpreecha, Managing Director, Southeast Asia, DHL eCommerce Solutions.
Businesses also stand to gain as they can address issues promptly with a bird’s eye view of the order fulfillment process with the tracking function, hence improving service delivery standards.
5) Be ready for returns
The influx of returns generated by online shopping will be further amplified once the holiday shopping season comes to an end. That is when shoppers will return most of their unwanted gifts or clothes.
There are a few things for businesses to think about when managing returns. Providing a smooth returns experience is the priority as it serves as another opportunity for them to engage the customer. One way would be to add a return label with every delivered shipment, making it less of a hassle for the customer to make a return.
Managing returns has proven costly for large retailers and small businesses alike but, when done right, could yield positive results. For instance, online clothing and shoe retailer Zappos offers a free two-way shipping and return policy for customers to try out and return their shoes — the customers with the highest return rates turned out to be its most profitable.
Given the peak shopping season, extending the returns period may be another alternative to avoid stressing the business’ resources. What matters most is that businesses think through this in advance before the season officially begins.
] =>
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[5-tips-to-prepare-your-e-commerce-business-for-the-2019-shopping-season] => 5-tips-to-prepare-your-e-commerce-business-for-the-2019-shopping-season
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[Business priority for the peak season] =>
[39690_18_09_DHL_01226] => 39690_18_09_DHL_01226
[Shipment tracking allows customers to know when to expect their parcels.] => Shipment tracking allows customers to know when to expect their parcels.
[shutterstock_236339074] => shutterstock_236339074
[Businesses must ensure that their websites are capable of delivering a seamless experience for visitors at any time.] => Businesses must ensure that their websites are capable of delivering a seamless experience for visitors at any time.
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[Article Key Image - 499634014] => Article Key Image - 499634014
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[$value] => When the clock struck midnight on Singles’ Day (November 11) in China last year, retailers and logistics providers put all hands on deck to process the 250,000 payment transactions that came through every second.
The annual holiday, created by e-commerce giant Alibaba to “celebrate" singlehood in China, has evolved into the world’s largest online shopping event, shattering its own sales record year after year.
The value of shopping transactions in the 2018 edition topped US$30.8 billion (€27.6 billion), dwarfing the sales generated from other popular online retail mega-events such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday in the West.
And that is often just the beginning of the lucrative year-end season, which culminates with the festive holiday shopping nearing Christmas.
For businesses aiming for a slice of the pie on Singles Day and the year-end holiday shopping season, knowing what to expect and how to cope with the influx of orders is critical. Here are five tips on how businesses can prepare in the lead up to the peak season.
1) Forecast demand and plan ahead
Looking at data collected in the past years can give indications of specific peak periods for the demand that a business is likely to face.
By mapping this out in advance, businesses will have ample time to put in place measures to plug the gaps that may arise with a hike in shipping activity.
This could include securing additional manpower to cope with the peak season volume and training them ahead of time to ensure familiarity with the processes.
Referencing historical data would also guide businesses in determining their inventory levels and identifying supplier alternatives — by geographies or product types, for instance — in the event of overwhelming demand.
2) Optimize website performance
A mere one-second delay in page loading could result in a 7 percent reduction in conversions, according to customer engagement automation platform KissMetrics.
[caption id="attachment_4847" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Businesses must ensure that their websites are capable of delivering a seamless experience for visitors at any time.[/caption]
If a website already loads slowly on a regular day, it may not have the right bandwidth and capacity to manage the higher traffic expected during the peak season. To prevent overloading, businesses should work on improving the page load time and responsiveness across all devices to deliver a seamless customer experience.
Conducting a stress test on the site simulating the increased web traffic should also be considered to ascertain that it can manage the influx of visitors without any difficulties.
3) Make shipping policies clear
The unexpected shipping charge that only appears at checkout could turn customers away from the business.
“A well-communicated shipping policy can help increase sales and reduce abandoned carts. Setting clear expectations with customers helps deliver a smooth checkout process and a world-class buyer experience,” said Arun Verma, Country Manager at Shopify Singapore.
A recent e-commerce survey revealed that up to 55 percent of shoppers would abandon their carts if they are suddenly presented with hidden charges that are not clearly communicated.
Shipping charges, duties or any other surcharges should be transparent and outlined to customers visiting the site, preferably in a prominent location on the page or even as a pop-up window. Any restrictions related to shipping to certain countries, or special handling involved, should also be specified to avoid confusion among shoppers.
4) Offer real-time, end-to-end shipment visibility
Several supply chain experts have cited shipment visibility as one of the key attributes consumers look out for during the busy holiday season.
[caption id="attachment_4848" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Shipment tracking allows customers to know when to expect their parcels.[/caption]
The ability to track a shipment online and knowing if it would arrive on the scheduled delivery date is essential to raising customer satisfaction levels. Enabling the capability as a self-help function further reduces the number of inquiries and, in turn, minimizes extra costs for customer support.
“More online shoppers have come to expect greater transparency, convenience and speed. Having a shipment tracking function offers our customers better visibility in knowing when to expect their parcels during the busy peak season,” said Kiattichai Pitpreecha, Managing Director, Southeast Asia, DHL eCommerce Solutions.
Businesses also stand to gain as they can address issues promptly with a bird’s eye view of the order fulfillment process with the tracking function, hence improving service delivery standards.
5) Be ready for returns
The influx of returns generated by online shopping will be further amplified once the holiday shopping season comes to an end. That is when shoppers will return most of their unwanted gifts or clothes.
There are a few things for businesses to think about when managing returns. Providing a smooth returns experience is the priority as it serves as another opportunity for them to engage the customer. One way would be to add a return label with every delivered shipment, making it less of a hassle for the customer to make a return.
Managing returns has proven costly for large retailers and small businesses alike but, when done right, could yield positive results. For instance, online clothing and shoe retailer Zappos offers a free two-way shipping and return policy for customers to try out and return their shoes — the customers with the highest return rates turned out to be its most profitable.
Given the peak shopping season, extending the returns period may be another alternative to avoid stressing the business’ resources. What matters most is that businesses think through this in advance before the season officially begins.
)
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