As we are now at the mid point of 2021 it is time to make sure you are setting your ecommerce business up for success as we look to grow sales in our peak selling season. To help you make sure you have everything fine tuned with your ecommerce business, I have put together a 2021 ecommerce checklist to help you consider as you ramp up this summer for peak season.
2021 Ecommerce Checklist for Growing Sales
Inventory Forecasting – This summer is now the time to look at your inventory levels to make sure you have what you need ensure you do not run out of stock at the peak season. While what is popular changes year to year you need to look at your sales history during the peak seasons of your specific items and look at the current year to see if you are seeing items that sold last year still selling at a steady level. If so, you should ramp up on those items to ensure you have them when it comes to time to move them.
Stale inventory checking – Now is also a good time to look at your sales numbers from last season and the first part of this year to find products that are not moving like they should be. If you have products sitting around that is capital not better invested in products so you need to do troubleshoot the problem. Are the listings for the products not adequate so they are not being found? Is the price not competitive? Use the time now to resolve the issue to get the merchandise in motion.
Pricing Checking – Prices change constantly on marketplaces and as a result you need to be aware of your prices on your own website or shopping cart as well as your prices on your listings on those marketplaces to make sure you are priced competitively as possible. You may find that you are now able to raise prices on some items, needing to lower prices on some or just right for others but going into the holiday season if you are not being found because of price you are in trouble.
Shipping Gut check – In the world of free shipping and consumers wanting everything within 2 days of purchase, you need to always be on your game when it comes to shipping. If you are offering free shipping and adding the cost into your product list price you need to make sure the prices for your labels have not changed and that you are still making money or at least breaking even on shipping with the cost of your shipping. Also, load up on your boxes, supplies and any other preparations to make sure you have smooth holiday.
Get Listing – Through out the year you may have items that you have purchased but have not listed yet. Now is the time to get your listings out there. Get active on your marketplaces and shopping cart to get your goods for sale this summer as each year the holiday shopping season seems to start earlier and earlier and you have the summer to get prepared so be sure to take advantage of it. If you have any products sitting around and not listed, you are just wasting money.
The summer goes by quick but for an ecommerce seller using the 2021 ecommerce checklist above will help you make sure you have your inventory ready for the upcoming selling season. Too often we can get caught up on the day to day fulfillment of normal orders coming in that we forget to ramp up and prepare for our biggest season. Take the time, use the ecommerce checklist and make this your best selling season yet!
