March 2021 - 20

TECHNOLOGY
Consumers today want options for
how they shop - in store, curbside
pickup and home delivery all need
to be viable choices.
prioritizing the AA items to sell online. We know they are
popular, and they have a high profit-margin. Alternatively,
an interesting tip where we've seen some success is taking
inventory that hasn't sold in over 12 months and putting it
online, thus expanding the visibility of that product. While it
might be a great way to promote inventory that isn't moving, I
strongly suggest careful consideration when restocking these
items, and perhaps just being glad when they're gone.
As your ecommerce site matures, it should be a goal to
increase the line items per transaction. I have two suggestions
for hitting this goal: use a market basket or product affinity
program, or offer kits or bundling products. The marketbasket
program tells us what products are best at drawing
in additional items to the sale. When selling a Supertunia,
for example, what are the additional items that are on the
same transaction? With this knowledge, you can easily offer
suggested items to increase your line item count.
My second suggestion is to offer kits. If you want to sell
tomatoes, try offering a tomato plant, soil, pot, fertilizer and
cage bundle. This allows the retailer to maximize the potential
sale - and is helpful to the customer in providing everything
they need quickly and easily.
Determining Your Pickup Options
Consumers today want options for how they shop - instore,
curbside pickup and home delivery all need to be
viable choices. Curbside pickup can drive additional revenue
and customer loyalty - and the right technology can make
it easier. We have seen strong adoption of texting that is
integrated within our Epicor retail solution. This will notify the
customer when their order has been finalized, making them
aware of when they can come and pick up their purchase.
All pickup and delivery options add a certain level of labor to
the transaction, with curbside pickup being one of the most
sought-after by customers, but labor-intensive for retailers. I
have heard from retailers who are testing limiting the timing
of these offerings to make better use of labor. For example,
curbside pickup may be available Monday through Thursday
only. This allows the full staff to be available during the peak
times and when they are needed on weekends.
I am also hearing that some businesses are seeing the
transaction count level out over the week, so make sure you
understand any changes in your consumer shopping behaviors.
Additionally, I strongly believe consumers are accustomed to
convenience charges. If curbside pickup is important to your
customers but a drain on labor, consider adding a shopper fee
to cover the cost of business.
Make It Part of the Vision
There are several business processes and vision
considerations to make that may guide your ecommerce
strategy. The first is to decide if you limit what you sell online
20 | LAWN & GARDEN RETAILER | MARCH 2021
or if
you want
to offer an
endless aisle.
What I have seen to be
successful is keeping it simple
and focused on what you do best and promoting the quality of
want you have. I'll repeat here: popular and profitable. It is easier
and less labor to keep it simple but focused.
The second is ensuring you have the inventory you are
showing online. Segmenting inventory that is available for
online purchasing ensures product availability. Avoid the
dreaded customer followup to tell them you don't have in stock
what they ordered online. This is especially important on your
higher-moving items at risk of selling out.
Third, being nimble requires an integrated solution. As the
season changes, so does the inventory and popular products.
Businesses need to be able to change the product mix online
based on availability and profitability. Keeping the inventory
changing keeps the customer coming back.
Lastly, businesses need to find their secret sauce for
expanding their shopping options while making sure new
costs are covered. Use the right technology to review the new
business and customer data while streamlining and optimizing
your labor.
I want to thank the many customers who have shared their
ecommerce journey with me over the last year. I hope that
2021 will be a profitable year and I'm looking forward to seeing
everyone soon in person again.
Sam Kirkland joined Epicor (then Triad Systems) in 1984
and has held various roles, all of which focus on helping
customers. He lives in Wisconsin and enjoys biking, hiking,
and hiding stuff in his beard. Contact him at skirkland@
epicor.com.
March 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2021
