Quarter 4 can be stressful and demanding when you run an eBay business because this is the busiest time of the year for the ecommerce industry. Demand goes through the roof in this quarter as people look to take advantage of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals at the end of November/December and you then obviously have Christmas later in the month which is always chaotic with online shopping.
The Perks of Q4
Although this quarter can be challenging to manage, it is important that you are able to keep up as this can give your business a significant boost. The increase in sales will obviously improve your bottom line and help you to find more success, plus it is also a good time for increasing brand awareness and getting your product in front of your target audience. When you can increase brand awareness, it should help you to boost sales throughout the year by both acquiring and retaining existing customers.
Preparation
It is clear that this can be a great time of the year for your business, but how can you keep up during such a busy period? It is helpful to look at last year’s sales so you can get a rough idea of just how busy this period might be for you and how much inventory you will need over the quarter to keep up with the increase in demand.
Promotions
You may also want to plan for promotions as this can be a competitive period and people will spend time shopping around looking for the best deals. Increasing your digital marketing and social media activity during this period will also be important for raising awareness and directing more traffic to your ecommerce store.
Shipments
Another key area to prepare for is shipments. Post around Christmas can be chaotic so you need to find a reliable courier and knowing the last dates for Christmas is essential. You can find out this information and find the best couriers for the holidays at places like Parcel2Go.
Customer Service
Customer service demands will also increase during this time as people may have questions about the products you provide and the delivery options. This means that you need to make sure that you are able to provide fast customer service otherwise they will simply go with the competition. You should be providing live chat, social media, phone and email customer service channels which should help you to stay on top of customer communication.
Quarter 4 certainly can be stressful and challenging for eBay businesses, but it can also be a lucrative quarter and help your business to thrive. Preparation is the key to success and hopefully the information in this guide will allow you to ready yourself for the busy period and maximise sales.
