If you’ve been running a traditional brick-and-mortar business and you’re adding a Web site, get ready for some changes.
Open 24 Hours, 365 Days a Year: The Web site doesn’t close. It’s great that people can browse your stock at 3 a.m. while you’re sleeping, but if they send an e-mail question, they’ll want a timely reply. (see “The Lights Are on, But No One’s Home”) In fact, since much of any shopping experience is impulsive, any delay in your response increases the chance of losing the sale. Should you monitor e-mail and other communication systems 24×7? Not necessarily. But if you only check your e-mail once a week now, you’ll be in trouble.
Broaden Your Horizons: Congratulations, you’re now an international company. Yep, those deep-pocketed shoppers in Namibia can find your Web site and place an order. Will they? Maybe not — but if they do, what will be the tax implications? Is your business regulated differently overseas? Will you need a different business license? Should you include international shipping costs on your price lists? You’d best start thinking about these things. Even small issues matter: I visited a business Web site recently, and under “Contact Us,” the page read “We’re conveniently located on Post Road just past Wilson’s gas station.” (Yeah, but in which state?)
Service Integration: Tracking orders and managing customer service with online shopping systems is getting easier, and that’s good news. But will it integrate with your current inventory/fulfillment/CRM systems? If not, the best-case scenario is that you’ll spend additional staff time coordinating efforts in an attempt to provide seamless service; worse (but more likely), you’ll have to admit to customers that you can’t pull up their online records while you’re on the phone with them or that the product they ordered really isn’t in stock, despite what the online system suggested.
