Holiday Shopping: A Star Wars Story

Well, hello! It’s everyone’s favorite Application Specialist, back again to give you some tips and maybe provide a bit of insight into the Magento world. Instead of going through the normal motions, I thought we would take something topical and apply it to our little blog today. So, let’s use Star Wars as our ship and jump into orbit around the world of eCommerce, analyzing how to make it through these next few winter holiday weeks. Grab your lightsaber and let’s jump in (avoid the Sarlacc pit).

Bring Balance to the Force

At this point, your site should be experiencing a significant hike in traffic. Of course, this means that certain pages can experience lag, and other parts of your site might also see issues arise. Instead of going to the dark side, channel your inner Jedi and calmly address your problems. Tackle site issues one at a time, prioritizing which items are the most important. Always address site-breaking or checkout issues first, then trickle down to the minor problems. Panicking and blowing up your developer’s inbox is only going to make things worse and potentially make finding a solution take longer. Remember, a Jedi never acts on his/her emotions.

Do or Do Not. There is No Try.

It’s a busy time. I get it, trust me. But do not make any promises (or offers) you are not willing to uphold. Only a Sith would back down from his/her word. Nothing will anger customers faster than seeing a certain discount vanish when they want to use it (or watching Force Awakens, but that’s another story). I trust that you have already committed to sending out promo codes, coupons, emails, and the like, but know that you need to be willing to fulfil these discounts. Make it clear when a sale begins and ends, communicate with your customers, and refund when/if necessary. Be the store they want to come back to when the holidays are over.

Help us Magento, You’re Our Only Hope

It’s the holiday, it’s hectic, and there’s a lot to do. Keep an eye on your Magento store, but don’t forget to fulfil your orders and keep your customers happy. Magento is a powerful platform (it’s one with the Force, after all) and it can handle a lot. Again, keep an eye on things, but let it do some of the heavy lifting. It will be the Chewie to your Han. And if you are considering pushing an upgrade or a patch, you might want to consider the timing. If you have a bit of downtime, go for it. If your site is swamped, it might be better to wait until things slow down a bit (maybe after the holidays). Either way, plan your upgrades and extension installations around your busy moments.

Use the Force

A lot of this stuff can be filed into the “no-brainer” category, but it should still be said. It’s a stressful time of year, and sometimes it takes reading someone tell you to stay calm in order for you to keep calm and put things into perspective. Just take a deep breath, keep those sales coming, and keep an eye out for the droids you’re looking for.