The Amazon Frenzy – How to Gear Up for Your eCommerce Holiday Season
Black Friday and Cyber Monday – a retailer’s dream. From in-person sales to online deals, if you’re selling something it seems like a feeding frenzy this time of year: eCommerce Holiday Season.
Fulfillment By Amazon (FBA) is the go-to for many eCommerce sellers, independent and otherwise. Maybe you’re working with Magento, Americommerce, Zulilly, Wayfair or Channel Advisor. Whichever system you use, you’re gearing up for the busy time of year.
Gear Up for Crunch Time
How do you gear up for crunch time and ensure a successful selling season? You most likely already have a system in place. We aren’t telling you anything new. However, a reminder of the essentials can help even the most seasoned seller.
Communication
In any relationship, communication is key. Maybe it’s a business transaction and you’re explaining the difference between freight and regular shipping for smaller packages. Maybe it’s a long-term business relationship and you’re exploring solutions for future endeavors in technology. Either way, communicating well can make the difference between future business and a dying network.
Using the tools at your disposal is just one step in effective communication. Consumers use email, phone conversations, social messaging and texting in their everyday lives. They expect the same from businesses.
The next important part of communication is putting yourself in your end user’s shoes. You may understand everything going on, but they likely don’t. Transparency can solve many customer service problems before they ever come up.
Technology
From your sales process to your supply chain, the right technology can set you up for success. Real-time visibility into your supply chain network during this peak selling season is vital. So… why do so many retailers still use on-premise and legacy technologies that fail to support dynamic demands of today’s marketplace?
Legacy systems and IT processes yield a greater amount of shopping cart abandonment, fail to meet customer demands for transparency and increase the cost of transportation. Be sure to explore technologies like Electronic Data Interchanges (EDI) and APIs. The right eCommerce management tools can make all the difference.
Personal Health
Maybe this sounds like some kind of hippie mumbo jumbo, but you need to keep yourself healthy so you can do it all again next year!
Get enough sleep. How much sleep do you really need? Different research and varying opinions may overwhelm. But the general number that seems to average out is 7 hours. Don’t stay up all night fulfilling orders.
Eat well. Sure, most of us tend to skip meals or find the most convenient solutions when pressed and when we’re overworked. [Did you know there’s something called Soylent to replace meals? It may not be as good as you’d hope for. Here’s why.] The bottom line though is that what you put into your body is important. Keep that in mind.
Take time to breathe. Meditation, rest and unplugging just might help you navigate the craziness. Take time to look around during this season and enjoy a little deep breathing and relaxation.
The Impending Holiday Hangover
Once the selling season wraps up, you’ll be faced with the Holiday Hangover. From filling your time to figuring out how to pay for warehouse space, your January may feel bleak.
We’ve found Amazon sellers of all levels face similar frustrations: low-touch customer service and penalty fees. When your business focuses on oversized products, unique packaging and personalization, you need better service come January and February.
If you find yourself in that space, come back and explore eCommEdge. This solution from EPI Marketing Services solves for your unique needs as an Amazon seller. We help you run an efficient, cost-effective eCommerce business while creating a unique customer experience.
eCommEdge offers automated, out-of-the-box Amazon SFP integration (via Amazon direct and Commerce Hub paths), on-demand kitting, custom packaging & POD capability, and a constant, predicatable, low-cost fulfillment & storage pricing model.
In addition to Amazon’s Seller Fulfilled Prime, we have experience and system integrations with Magento, Americommerce, Zulilly, Wayfair and Channel Advisor.
Photo by Charles Deluvio 🇵🇭🇨🇦 on Unsplash
