The end of the year is a great time to take stock of what worked and what didn’t with your eCommerce site over the past 12 months as well as look forward to what you want to accomplish in the next 12. Want to crush it next year? The first step is to set goals. New Year’s resolutions are an excellent way to help you do that. Not only are they a good guide to help you home in on what you want to achieve, they also keep you on track to achieve it.
With that in mind, what resolutions are you making for the next 12 months? Will it be website upgrades? New partnerships? An expanded product line? Or maybe testing out a different social media platform? There are always modifications and improvements you can make with your business. The following are potential areas to assess as well as suggestions within them to work on. You can also get plenty more ideas from Logicblock’s eCommerce solutions.
Customer Service
Customers are clearly your bread and butter. Without people buying, you won’t be selling. To that end, it’s always smart to work on being more customer centric.
- Practice being present and listening better – not only is it respectful to those around you, it also saves time because people don’t have to repeat themselves
- Reduce response time between receiving and addressing customer questions and concerns
- Make a habit of connecting with your customers – reach out to them for their feedback and make their input feel valued, or perhaps connect with them more frequently on social media
- Think about new ways to provide value to your current customers while attracting new ones, such as small gestures like offering a one-day price cut on some of your best-selling items or sending a personalized ‘thank you’ note for repeat customers
Productivity and Operations
When it comes to any business, eCommerce or otherwise, smooth operations can make or break you. If your site goes down or an application stops working at an inopportune time, you can lose out not only in profits, but also in customers. To grease your operational wheels, you always want to focus on increasing productivity and functionality without reducing quality. You can do that by making small changes to optimize both your day and the company’s workflow. Some ways to do so include:
- Assess your tools and focus on using ones that you know work well rather than jumping on the next best app for productivity
- Clean house – get rid of any outdated software and hardware, and offload product that no longer represents your brand in a way you want or that is taking up space you need for newer, fresher inventory
- Make data your best friend – study the data metrics for the year to see what worked and what didn’t, and where there were any changes (if any) in areas like demographics, etc., and adjust your marketing goals accordingly and where necessary
- Look into implementing more eco-friendly options in your services
- If you haven’t already done so, create a schedule with set dates for things like site audits and updates
- Figure out what and where you can automate operations to free you and your employees up for other tasks
- Consider employing a quarterly brainstorming session with key employees to help foster an environment that seeks fresh and innovative ideas
- Evaluate your platform to see if you are getting the functionality and service you want and need for your business to thrive
Want to maximize your business and give your customers the best possible experience? Logicblock eCommerce solutions is a one-stop shop that provides extensive, customizable services to ensure your eCommerce site is fully optimized, robust, responsive, and flexible on both the front end and the back end.
Leadership
Leadership is one area that’s so important and yet can get lost in the pursuit of sales and productivity. But your leadership is what steers the ship and keeps the boat afloat. Think about trying the following:
- Practice leading with generosity – people always work better when they believe they are valued, so don’t be stingy with the praise or providing other small gestures that show you appreciate them, like maybe offering them an extra floating day off
- Practice active listening – just like you would with your customers, listen to and be present for your employees
- Ask your employees for feedback on their work experience and see where you can improve company culture and work environment
- Make it a point to have regular check ins with your team
- Learn to delegate where and when you can – this creates an environment of trust and shows you have confidence in your employees
- Run a corporate retreat to help build relationships with and among your employees
- Take stock of your own habits to see where you may be setting a bad example and adjust accordingly; in contrast, look at where you are setting a good example and do more of that
Life
If you want to keep your business in top shape, you have to keep yourself in top shape as well. The health of your business relies on the health of your body and mind, so don’t forget to bake in some “me time” when thinking about plans for next year and remember to take care of you. Work-life balance is always a work in progress, for sure. But if it’s all work and no play, you will eventually burn out and/or find yourself relying on unhealthy habits, which helps no one, especially not you. And it certainly doesn’t help your business.
Keep in mind, these are just a few suggestions. Don’t stress if you don’t do all (or any) of these. Focus on what works best for you and your business.
Here’s to a great year ahead!
Contact Us to Help You Make 2024 Your Best Year Yet