Handling Holiday Sales Skillfully

Elements of a Stellar Customer Experience

There are three main components your business should focus on - transparency, communication, and feedback. Communication is a crucial pillar in the foundation of your customer service experience. It starts from the first moment a shopper finds your listing and continues even after the shopper has received their order.

Prior to purchase:

• Show Shipping Options,  Set up shipping clearly. Select the shipping method (First Class, Priority, International, etc.) so we can estimate a delivery date for the buyer.
• Set your “Ships within,” or handling, timeframe (Selling>Booth Options>Shipping & Returns). Customers don’t usually mind waiting for an order as long as it’s clear how long the wait will be when they place their order.
• You can use a Shipping Profile to set up shipping for all items at once. 
• Make yourself available to shoppers. The manner in which you handle questions will speak volumes to a customer who has never shopped with you before. It’s your first chance to prove that you are trustworthy, helpful, and eager to earn their business. It also helps remove other potential barriers to the purchase, such as “Will this fit me?” or “Will this part work with my car?” If you’re new to Bonanza, here’s a quick refresher on how email works on Bonanza (we call it 'Bmail').
• Strive to make your response times as quick as possible. This helps prevent shoppers from abandoning their purchase and looking elsewhere, and it gives shoppers an idea of how future business with you will proceed. In this day and age, people don’t expect to wait long, and being cognizant of this will help your business thrive.
• Pro tip: With a Bonanza membership, you can receive notifications about Bmails via SMS text message, and answer customer questions without skipping a beat.
• Mention alternative methods of communication when possible. Customers appreciate options. Be sure to put your social media accounts, email address, and business phone number in your booth details and/or ‘About Me’ section. (Note that it is not permissible to include these types of contact info directly within your item listings or booth banners).

After the purchase:

• Customize your ‘After Sale’ message. Bonanza sends an automated email confirmation to shoppers after a purchase, but you can also set up a personalized email. This is a great way to establish shipping expectations, reinforce trust, and humanize your business. It can be sent immediately after purchase or can be delayed for one day or one week. You can set this up in your Booth Settings, under the “Payments & Purchases” tab.
• Provide tracking information and an arrival estimate when possible. Shoppers can get frustrated waiting for items if they don’t know when they will arrive. They may develop unrealistic expectations or negative perceptions of your business during this time. A clear order status update is often all they need to return to their happy place. Be sure to add tracking information when you mark the item as shipped.
• Follow up after they’ve received their order. This makes the customer feel like you care, and it gives you a headstart on addressing any potential issues before the customer leaves negative feedback. This is also a great time to ask the customer to consider leaving positive feedback if they’re satisfied with the experience. Bonanza always sends an automated feedback request on your behalf, but sending a personalized request increases the chances of them following through.

Thanks for reading the blog! We're always glad to provide tips and work with our seller community to optimize sales