Tougher economic conditions sort out the best from the rest. That’s the message that comes across from eMarketer’s ‘USA Online Sales Slip’ published 5/5/09.

Although eMarketer suggests that online sales in the USA may turn out flat for the current year, they are positive about the upside for  smart eCommerce websites; ‘ the current economic upheaval has weakened many traditional retailers, putting consumer wallets up for grabs. Online retailers that can fill the void with superior customer service, rich product information and greater shopping conveniences have a chance to win new customers for life’ .

Glasses Direct is a good example of how customer service differentiation can deliver bottom line results for a website shop. In a recent Q&A with eConsultancy.com, Jamie Murray Wells, founder of Glasses Direct talks about how his ecommerce website has won customers’ hearts. Building word of mouth has been critical and going the extra mile in terms of customer service is key to securing these personal recommendations. So for example, they send little gifts out with their orders, they make it very easy for customers to get friendly advice over the telephone from one of their customer advisors (note: phone number visible on every product page), and in one case where they had an upset customer they sent a pizza as an apology. Their view is that as eCommerce matures and more and more of their competitiors have excellent websites/great products/keen pricing, then the only way to achieve differentiation is via customer service.

Customer Service

On the other side of the coin, we came across a bad example of customer service today from one of our largest e-tailers; Marks & Spencer. The home page advertises ‘Free Delivery on orders over £30′. So we place our order which totals £31.50 on the basis that we assume the free delivery will automatically be applied at the checkout. But guess what pops up? a £3.50 delivery charge at the checkout. What do we do?  look for a telephone number to contact M&S to find out what’s gone wrong (note: telephone number hidden in the deepest depths of their website), spend several minutes waiting for an operator whilst being told by an automated message that ‘M&S is currently experiencing delays with deliveries and Email response times are currently longer than usual’. Doesn’t inspire alot of confidence. When we finally get through to an operator, we’re told you have to click on the ‘Free Delivery on Orders over £30′ advert button to get the offer code and input manually at the checkout. Well why don’t they tell customers that on their home page and avoid all those angry calls to their helpline, that is assuming the customer hasn’t abandoned their shopping cart already? M&S you need to pull your socks up!

Marks & Spencer

The message for all serious website shops is focus on customer service - don’t just get the basics right, aim higher - delight your customers and they won’t forget you.